Camp Rock: Year Two
by Miley Owns My Gypsy Heart
Summary: Before Camp Star.Before Mitchie Torres. The start of what the world comes to know as Connect 3. Miley and Joseph's 2nd Summer at Camp Rock at the tender age of 14-years-old. Moe/Joley/Jiley/Shiley.
1. Chapter 1

_**CAMP ROCK  
YEAR TWO**_

_June 15th_

I was biting my bottom lip harshly as the car as it drove up the long, winding dirt road to Camp Rock. My flight had gotten to LAX from New York too late to get the Camp Rock bus, so my Dad had arranged for a limo to pick me up and drop me off. Last year I was resentful, I didn't want to be here, I was forced here by my Dad. This year I was sick to my stomach with nerves. I was going to see Joseph again; last year at the end of camp we'd been adamant about keeping in touch, we'd talk and e-mail and tet and send postcards. Everything to keep in touch. And it had worked... for a few months; but long distance relationships never work, especially - as my Dad and older brother Jackson constantly reminded me - when we're only kids. Eventually the calls stopped being every day or every other day, then every week, every other week... And then they just stopped. Now I was nervous to see him again.

"We are here, Miss Stewart." The driver anounced through the intercom from the front.

"Thanks." I beeed back, unbuckling and getting out. I kept my eyes down, avoiding looking at everyone as I took my bag from the driver.

"Good day, Miss Stewart." The driver bowed formally before he got back in the drivers seat and started to drive away. I sighed, I was here again. Looking around the grounds it still looked exactly the same; the same cabins, the same canoes and boats by the lake, the same lake that Joseph and I had spent so much time on together.

"Cabin assignments!" Dee La Duke was yelling through a megaphone as kids filtered around; they would have only gotten here an hour or so before me. Which meant Joseph was probably here, did he think that because I wasn't on the bus I wouldn't come?

Through getting my cabin assignment, finding my cabin, unpacking, calling my Dad to assure him I got here okay, freshening up after the flight, and then heading to where orrientation was; I didn't see Joseph at all. Was he here? He loved music, he'd been looking forward to Camp Rock since he was a kid. I couldn't imagine him not being here.

"M-Miley?" I was sitting at the back of the crowd, near the trees, not listening to orrientation when I heard it. I looked up and I swear my heart stopped for a second. Now was the do or die moment; did Joseph and I still have that magical connection from last Summer.

Joseph was the same, but different as well; the same olive skin, the same shy smile, the same bright brown eyes with little sparks of gold and green. His hair was still short, but instead of slightly spiked, it was laying flat against his forehead. He wasn't wearing glasses anymore, and the faint outline of muscles he'd had last year was more pronounced.

"H-Hi, Joseph." I whispered, my heart was racing. We had said we'd keep in touch and we hadn't, we said we'd be together forever, but we're only kids - which Dad and Jackson felt the need to remind me of constantly - we said nothing would change in the nine months we were away from camp, but change was inevitable.

"You're beautiful." Joseph murmured and I blushed, he could still make me blush with only a couple of words.

"You're very handsome." I replied and he flushed pink too. He was still a beautiful boy, he'd always be beautiful to me, the most beautiful boy I would ever see, but he had started growing too, from beautiful boy to... _Hot_.

"I missed you." Joseph mumbled, looking down. "You weren't on the bus, I thought you weren't coming."

"My flight missed the bus." I explained and he nodded slowly. "I missed you too." Had it been me or him who stopped calling? Who called last? Was it me? Was I the reason we were so distant and awkward now?

"You wanna talk?" Joseph asked; did he even still like to be called Joseph? "Away from everyone?"

"Sure." I agreed, smiling shyly. Joseph held out his hand and I took it, letting him lead me away. We walked away, along the lake, down to the dock, and we sat on the edge of the dock with our legs hanging over. The orrientation was right behind us, but we could still talk privately. "What's up?" I asked after we'd been sitting for a full minute and nothing had been said.

"I guess long distance didn't work, huh?" Joseph sighed, looking out of the dark, glittering lake.

"Yeah." I hummed despondantly.

"I never looked at another girl." Joseph said and I smiled a little.

"I never looked at another boy." I assured him and I saw him relax out of the corner of my eye. "You're still wearing your bracelet?" I was surprised as I looked at his wrist.

"Told you I'd never take it off." Joseph smiled, looking over at me and his eyes were glittering in the moonlight as well. "I don't want to, you made it for me." We sat on the dock for a few minutes in silence. "Are we still together?" Joseph finally asked the million dollar question.

"I-" I frowned and furrowed my brow. "I don't know." I finally said, I wanted to say yes, but I just couldn't. We'd become too distant since we left camp last year, what if we weren't the same people? "Do you want to be?" I bit my lip nervously, from the way my heart flutered when I saw him and the way he could make me blush so easilly I still wanted to be together with him.

"I think so." He muttered and I frowned; 'think', he thinks he still wants to be together. "Let me try something?" He looked up at me with hesitant brown eyes. I nodded slowly and he reached out for me, his hands warm against my skin as he touched my face and then trailed them down to my neck. I felt goosebumps all over my body at his touch, and my lips parted as he leaned closer. I licked my lips and my eyes darted to his; soft, pink... I remembered how he tasted too, it made me get a hot flush all over. Joseph's lips touched mine and I think I melted into his touch, it was warm and tender. It only lasted a few second, and when he pulled away he had a lazy, goofy grin on his face. And I'm sure I wasn't much different. "Yep." Joseph said, his hands dropping from my face. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered, his breath hot against my skin. "I always want to be with you, Miley." I flushed and giggled and smiled, acting like a total lovesick puppy. "I'm sorry we... lost contact."

"Me too." I honestly don't know why it happened, it was like one minute we were talking on the phone every day and writing three page e-mails. And then I feel like it just stopped suddenly. Like, it was nothing momentous, we just... stopped.

"We'll always have the Summers, though right?" I sighed, is that all we were destined for in our relationship? Wonderful Summers and then nothing for nine months?

"Right." I agreed none-the-less.

_**CR**_

_June 16th_

I hummed to myself as I played the piano in an empty room. It was the same song Joseph tried to teach me to play half with one hand last year. I was a lot better at it now, and every time I played it it reminded me of Joseph; of our happy times last Summer. Now that I knew that Joseph and I weren't over it made me hopeful for more happy times this Summer. We could finish our birdhouse, and write songs together, and watch fireworks on the roof for the fourth of July.

"Hey." I opened my eyes, startled, when Joseph slid onto the piano bench next to me.

"Hi." I blushed, Joseph always seemed to know what I was thinking so he could reassure me when I was scared or nervous, did he know I wa just thinking about him? "You have beautiful eyes." I was still getting used to this Joseph; more grown up, contacts instead of glasses, straight black hair instead of spiked, and he was more confident too.

"Nothing's as beautiful as you." Joseph smiled at me, his fingers absently dancing across the ebony and ivory keys in front of us. I blushed and looked down, he was still such a sweet talker and he didn't even know it, he was just being Joseph. "You wanna play together?"

"Sure." I agreed, pressing my fingers to the keys again. "What song?"

"You and me." Joseph sung softly as he played. "Can't you see? How our hearts... Are one." I giggled and shook my head, I swear I would never meet anyone like Joseph ever again. "Just believe, and don't decieve. Now our journey's just begun." The idea that last Summer and this Summer were only the begining for us made me happy to think about. "Sunlight in your hair, makes my heart jump in the air."

"You totally stole that from _Raise Your Voice_." I accused, giggling.

"I did not." Joseph gasped, looking afronted and apalled. "They stole it from me." He grinned cheekilly at me.

"You're a dork, Joseph Gray." I shook my head. "A very cute dork." I ammended when he pouted at me with his big brown doe eyes. It was amazing how easilly we reverted back to being as comfortable as we were last Summer after only one day.

"You wanna try again?" Joseph asked after a couple of minutes. "I heard you playing the song so I know you still remember."

"Okay." I nodded, taking my right hand off the keys as Joseph removed his left hand. "Are we gonna stop talking again after this Summer?" I asked the question that had been eating at me since he kissed me on the dock last night.

"I hope not." Joseph looked down, his long lashes fluttering against his cheeks. "I'm sorry we stopped talking this year, I didn't mean to."

"It's my fault too." I reminded with a sigh. "I just don't-" bit my lip nervously and stopped playing. "I don't think I can do this again this Summer if it's gonna happen again." I whispered meekly, feeling small and petty and selfish for thinking it let alone saying it.

"Oh." Joseph's fingers stilled too and I didn't dare to look at him. "D-does-does that m-mean you don't w-want to-to be tog-together?" Great. He hadn't stuttered last night or today yet and I made him stutter.

"I do want to be together." I told him, finally looking up; he looked absolutely crushed, as if I just killed his puppy. But he did look a little better after that.

"May-maybe I could con-convince my Mom to go to New York for Christmas?" Joseph suggested weakly, hope and pleading in his beautiful brown eyes.

"My Dad goes to L.A all the time, if it's not during school I could ask to go with him." I murmured, looking down again, away from his pleading eyes. "I just-... I like you a lot, Joseph, I just don't like the nine months of not know and nerves like I felt this year."

"I get it." Joseph nodded dejectedly. "I don't like it, but I get it."

"We'll figure it out before the end of camp, won't we?" I asked feebly.

"Of course." Joseph said with a sigh. "I hope so." We were both silent, just sitting there. Sad. "Let's play." He shook his head and sat up straight. We sat in the otherwise empty cabin playing the piano together until the musical tune sounded signalling lunch. I smiled and blushed when Joseph shyly reached for my hand when we got up and he held my hand all the way to the dining hall.

"'Sup, Bro." Nate nodded when we passed his table and I was confused.

"Yeah." Joseph whispered, looking down and walking away.

"What was that?" I asked as we got in line.

"Ever since Final Jam last year he's been like that." Joseph shook his head. "Like he's my best friend all of a sudden... It's creepy." He suddered and I laughed, though I was still confused. "And my Mom just acts like it's totally normal."

"Seriously? After fourteen years how can it be normal for him to just act like he didn't torment you?" I shook my head in disbelief.

"Mom says I should just embrace it and move on." Joseph rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I-I guess-I guess it would be nice to have a friend."

"It's up to you, Joseph." I held in a frown at the idea of Joseph trusting Nate, then Nate would totally backstab him. I wouldn't put it past him.

"I don't trust him, though." Joseph scrunched up his nose, though I wasn't sure if that was about Nate or the food. It was some kind of brown meat, and it smelled funny. A total step down from last Summer - and I'm sure it didn't meet Joseph's allergy-aproved list. "Uncle Brown just says I'm being stupid and I should forgive and forget 'cause he's my cousin."

"Well, then tell him he can be BFF's with Nate." I rolled my eyes and he craked a shy smile.

"It's been a weird year." Joseph mumbled, looking down for a moment before looking back up at me with a shy smile and bright brown eyes with sparkling green and old flecks. "But, it's better now."

* * *

**Dun dun duh duh!  
Here it is, the first chapter of Camp Rock: Year Two!**

**1) How do you like the year so far?  
2) What's your favourite part of the chapter?  
3) This Summer is going to delve in Joseph and Nate's relationship more. What do you think of that?  
4) This Summer is also going to have a few more firsts for Joseph and Miley to experience togther.  
5) It'll also see the begining of what will one day be Connect 3.  
6) How do you like the new Joseph? A little more grown up and mature.**

**Please review? Don't just think someone else will, please do it yourself.**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER TWO**_

_June 19th_

I sat by the lake with my guitar and my song book. I hadn't played anything in, like, ten minutes. I was just staring out at the lake. Thinking. Was a Summer with Joseph really worth the worry and heartache of the other nine months of the year? I liked spending time with Joseph, and he made me happy, but nine months apart wasn't good for any relationship, was it? Maybe it would be better if we weren't together? Or if we waited till we were older? Could I be in the same camp as Joseph and not be around him all the time? We had grown so close last Summer, but we drifted apart during the year and now we were back here, and I still felt the same about him.

"Miles?" I jumped back to reality when Joseph sat down next to me. "You look out of it."

"Just thinking." I shook myself out of it and smiled at him. Joseph nodded and reached into his pocket, fishing around for a minute before he gave me a coin. "A quarter?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your thoughts are worth more than a penny." Joseph explained with a blush.

"You." I looked back to the lake, sparkling in the sunlight.

"Huh?" I could hear the confussion in his voice.

"I was thinkin' 'bout you." I ellaborated, flushing hotly. "You, us... What happens after the Summer."

"Oh." His voice dropped dramatically and I sighed.

"Let's just..." I furrowed my brow a little as I thought. "Let's just... Improv it... Take it day by day?"

"Improv." Joseph nodded when I looked back to him. "It could be worse, r-r-right?"

"Right." I let out a breath. "I really do like you, Joseph, a lot."

"I like you too, Miley." He kissed my cheek. We sat in silence for a few minutes, looking out at the lake, just sitting. I don't know what he was thinking about, but I felt a lot better now we had some sort agreement about our relationship. "Wanna go see if our birdhouse is still here?" Joseph spoke up after a while and I couldn't help but smile.

"Sure." I got up with my guitar and my songbook. "Let me just put this away." I lifted my guitar a little and he nodded.

"I'll meet you there." And that's how Joseph and I found ourselves in the woodshop cabin, staring at the not-quite-a-birdhouse we started last year.

"How big did we say?" I cocked my head as I looked at it.

"Wasn't there gonna be a pool?" Joseph looked just as bewildered as I felt. I guess our memories of the birdhouse weren't quite as big as our initial dreams for it. "Did we draw plans for it?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, furrowing my brow. "It looks bigger than I remember."

"We should finish it this year." Joseph decided with a definitive nod.

"If we can remember how." I pointed out.

"I found plans!" Joseph announced after we'd been looking around the are and through the birdhouse for a while.

"I don't remember that." I mused, looking at the back of it; there was a heart carved into the back with 'M. S + J. G = 2004'.

"Oh." Joseph blushed when he saw what I was looking at. "I-I..." He stumbled over his words, it was cute and endearing. "I-I wanted e-everyone to-to know it was ours, and-and that I like you." It was official; Joseph was still the most sweetest, shyest, beautiful boy in the whole world.

"That's so sweet." I smiled, tracing the heart. "We should do one this year too." I said brightly. "And every year we're here."

"Okay." He agreed, spreading out the plans we made last year.

_**CR**_

_June 20th_

Joseph was frowning at a letter when I sat opposite him at breakfast. Like, really frowning, as if it had insulted him or something. It was worrying.  
"Joseph?" I asked and he finally looked up, his beautiful brown eyes clouded with trouble.

"Hey." He cocked his head and looked at me, but it didn't really feel like he was seeing me.

"What's wrong, Joey?" I reached for his hand across the table and he just sighed and looked down.

"My Mom." He muttered, pushing the letter over to me.

"Is she okay?" I worried and he just cocked his head again.

"She-she's-my Mom is ge-getting-getting married." It looked like he actually struggled to get the words out.

"Oh." I furrowed my brow a little; getting married was usually a good thing, right? But, Joseph certainly didn't look happy. I guess I wouldn't be happy if Dad sent me a letter saying he was getting married either, I wasn't ready for my Dad to even date after Mom died let alone get married.

"Hi, Shane!" Jason Jonas, one of the other campers our age from last year - and also one of Nate's cabin mates last year - came up and sat next to Joseph. "Did you get a letter too?" Too?

"Get away from me!" Joseph suddenly snapped, yelling at Jason who looked shocked and storming away angrilly.

"Did he get a letter?" Jason asked a minute, back to his normal, happy-go-lucky self as if Joseph hadn't just blown up out of nowhere.

"Yeah." I frowned, picking up the paper. Was it an invasion of privacy if I read it? I mean, he did give it to me.

"Hey, is it possible to be, like, double cousins?" Jason asked, completely changing the subject.

"What?" I shook my head.

"Well, I mean, Nate's my cousin 'cause his Dad is my Mom's brother, and now my Dad is gonna marry Shane's Mom, so then that would mean we're, like, double cousins." Jason explained brightly.

"Wait, what?" I felt way behind... I don't think anyone had ever felt this behind when talking to Jason before. "You're Nate's cousin?" I asked in disbelief, was everyone in the camp related in some way? Was I the only person here not related to someone else here?

"Yeah." Jason nodded.

"And your Dad..." I was struggling to catch up.

"My Mom and Dad divorced when I was a kid, but then Dad started dating this woman who is apparently Shane's Mom and now they're getting married so Shane's gonna be my brother now." Jason explained as if it were obvious.

"So..." I frowned in concentration. "Joseph's Mom is Brown's sister, and his Dad was Nate's Mom's brother, and Nate's Dad is your Mom's brother, and now your Dad is engaged to Joseph's Mom?" I asked, I think I finally caught up.

"Yeah!" Jason said and I sighed. Jeez. I rubbed my head that was starting to hurt.

"I need to find Joseph." I decided, getting and following the direction Joseph had stormed off. I found my sweet boy sitting on the dock at the lake, with his legs hanging over the edge. I sat down next to him. "Hey."

"Hey." Joseph muttered darkly.

"So, I guess you don't want your Mom to marry Jason's Dad?" I asked and he sighed.

"They moved in during the Christmas break, but I hate it; Mister Jonas treats me like I'm five, Jason is constantly everywhere, and my Mom is just... She's different." Joseph groaned in frustration. "It's only been three years since Dad died." I didn't know what to say, I mean, what was there to say? Sorry your Mom fell in love again? "You think I'm being a jerk, don't you?" Joseph sighed, looking down.

"No." I replied honestly, because I'd probably feel the same way if Dad got married again. "So Jason and Nate are cousins?" Joseph shuddered at the mention.

"That's how Mom and Mister Jonas met; Nate was staying Jason's house a few years back and Aunt Sandy and Uncle Tom were busy so Mom had to go pick him up." He screwed up his face and grumbled. "I don't know why they couldn't just leave him there."

"Let's go on the lake." I decided and he looked up at me, confused. "When we're on the lake it's just us, the rest of the world is on the shore and we're out there." I reasoned, getting up.

"'Kay." Joseph nodded, climbing down into a boat tied to the dock. and holding out his hand for me like the perfect gentleman he was.

"I miss this." I hummed when we were in the middle of the lake, laying back, Joseph with his arm around me, me nestled comfortably into his side.

"Me too." Joseph agreed, with a smile. "Hey." He suddenly lit up with an idea. "If my Mom and Mister Jonas do get married, maybe I could run away and live with you instead? Then we wouldn't have to be apart during the school year."

"Maybe." I agreed, it did sound like fun, but my Dad would never agree to it. I barely kept him from going to L.A and racking Joseph down once he found out tht I'd kissed a boy.

_**CR**_

_June 21st_

"Hey, Brother!" I saw Jason wae at Joseph when my sweet, shy boy walked into the dining hall for breakfast.

"You're not my brother." Joseph snapped, glaring at the other boy. "You never will be."

"Is it really that bad?" I asked with a wince when Joseph sat next to me.

"He's so dumb my Mom makes me tutor him." Joseph grumbled, kicking the table with a thud. "In everything." He added with emphatic wide eyes. "Math, science, history, English, social studies, home ec." He listed and my eyes widened. "So now I have to tutor Nate and Jason, and then I have to live with Jason, and Nate is always there too, and I hate it. I want it to be like when it was just me and Mom again." I think he was more upset about losing his Mom than Jason and his Dad.

"Why do you tutor Nate?" I changed the subject, I didn't want to upset him more, but there wasn't much I could change the subject too.

"'Cause he sucks at math and Mom says I should be nice and help them, but until this year Nate just made fun of me, and he doesn't even try and he fails his tests and then I get blamed for not tutoring him good enough." Joseph huffed, picking at his egg whites.

"Just say that you refuse to tutor anyone with an IQ lower than a chimp." I said with a straight face and Joseph turned to look at me, slightly bewildered before he started laughing. "If that doesn't work, say you're going ona field trip, take them to the zoo and just leave them there; they'll get fed everyday, have a nice enclosure, and their parents can visit them any day during opening hours."

"I wouldn't want to insult the other animals intelligence like that." Joseph snickered into his eggs, calming down a little. "You always know how to make me feel good again, Miley."

"Nice to know." I smiled, kissing his cheek. Except he turned his head right at the moment andI kissed his lips instead. Joseph instantly stopped snickering and stared at me so intently I actually thought he might be looking into my Soul. It was astonishing how fast he could go from upset to happy to... This. Heated? Passionate? What word could really describe it?

"Wanna know the first time I liked you?" Joseph spoke softly, his warm breath ghosting over my face as he got closer.

"Hmm?" Was the only response I seemed capable of. I wanted to kiss him so badly. I felt my eyes drooping in anticipation.

"The first day of camp last year, when you helped me after Nate pushed me." I smiled, stuttering, blushing Joseph made me blush too, before I even knew his name. "I thought you had the most beautiful eyes in the whole world." I flushed and looked down, but Joseph hooked his finger under my chin and made me look at him. "And the cutest blush." I could barely focus on his words, his lips were so lose. "The most kindest, beautiful girl ever." And then my mind went a little fuzy because Joseph was kissing me; his lips soft yet firm against mine.

"Joey." I breathed when we broke apart for barely a second. Joseph was a lot better than breakfast, I decided.

"Woah!" Joseph sprang away from at the voice and I frowned at Jason. "Sorry!" Jason held up his hands, a bewildered look on his face.

"I don't like him, Miley." Joseph whined lowly, hiding his face in my neck. I blushed brighter at the feel of his pouting lips against my collarbone. "Make him leave, I only want it to be us."

"I just wanted to see if Shane wanted to help make plans to redesign our room, but it can wait." Jason explained before hurrying away.

"I know how to redesign it." Joseph muttered, back to his bad mood when he lifted his head and I sighed. "Get rid of the extra bed and leave the rest the same."

"Calm down, Joey." I cooed, cupping his cheeks and kissing his lips softly once.

"I liked my room how it was, all Jason likes is stupid guns." Joseph pouted,, crossing his arms. "He moved my favourite picture of you."

"You have a picture of me?" I cocked my head to the side.

"From Fourth of July." Joseph blushed, looking away shyly. "You looked so pretty and happy."

"Don't worry about Jason." I told him and he frowned a little. "It's Summer vacation, that means you get to not think about anything you don't like."

"I like you." Joseph mumbled, "I think about you all the time."

"I think about you all the time too." I smiled.

* * *

**Okay, so this got 2 reviews for the first chapter, a major step down from the 1st chapter of Year 1, which got 10 reviews for the 1st chapter.**

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) This is just the start of the dramas. Not only are we going to get more into the psyche of Nate Lucas, but we're also going to have more of Jason and by the end of this Summer Connect 3 will be born.  
3) What category should this series be in? Hannah Montana, Camp Rock, or HM/CR crossover? Which would bring in more views and reviews?  
4) Have any of you seen Joe's tattoo? I was waiting until I knew it was real to mention it. I think it's a good design, and I love the meaning and why Joe chose it... But, part of me does wish it my name in big bold letters... Sigh.  
5) Does anyone know the setlist for the Jonas tour in asia that they're doing right now? Or is it the same as the Radio City setlist? 'Cause I really really really want Joe to sing even just a tiny part of Please Be Mine before the end of the year. I already have 8 years of Joe singing Please Be Mine, and I'm DYING to make it to 10 years next year, but it won't work unless I have this year.**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**CHAPTER THREE**_

_June 25th_

I closed my eyes as my fingers tinkled across the keys of the piano. I liked this, just me and the music. It was easy to get lost in the music, like nothing else in the world existed. I wasn't playing anything in particular, just letting my fingers dance across the keys. I just let myself get lost in the music and my thoughts. Thoughts that were mainly about Joseph.

It had only been 9 days sice we got back to Camp Rock, but I already felt like we never left. But, at the same time Joseph had changed; he was bigger, stronger, more confident, less nervous all the time... Hot. He didn't stutter, he stood up for himself, he was perfectly comfortable with playful teasing. But, he was still the sweet, shy boy I fell in love with last Summer too.

Was it love? I'd been sure last year that I was in love with Joseph, but we'd been apart for so long. If it was love would we have lost contact with each other during the year? Or could true love withstand that? Was it even love to begin with? All I knew was seeing Joseph, talking to him, spending time with him, kissing him; it made me crazy about him all over again. He made my heart race, my breath hitch, my palms sweat. I thought about him constantly, when I woke up, when I went to sleep, when I was dreaming. I always looked for him every time I went into a room, I couldn't help it, I wanted to be around him all the time.

I love Joseph!

With that thought my fingers stilled and the music stopped. I was sure it was love. I opened my eyes and got up. I don't know why, but I had the sudden urge to tell Joseph that I love him; like I needed to or something, I needed him to know. I got up and almost tripped over my feet to find Joseph, and then as soon as I got out of the empty piano cabin I ran into someone.

"Sorry." I called, getting up. It was Nate, as much as I disliked him, he probably knew where Joseph was. "Do you know where Joseph is?" I asked, trying to be polite at the very least.

"Why would I?" Nate scoffed, rolling his eyes and I was confused; this was the same Nate who had suddenly decided during the year to be Joseph's stalker best friend, wasn't it?

"Because you're supposedly his new best friend." I pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever." Nate muttered, glaring at me. Did I do something to offend him at some point. "He's in his cabin being perfect little Shaney that everybody loves."

"Are you, like, bipolar or something?" I asked, cocking my head. I mean, he bullied and tortured Joseph for fourteen years, then decided to try and be his best friend, now this? "Did I say something wrong? What did Joseph ever do to you?" I wondered alloud and he rolled his eyes again.

"Nothing." Nate said bitterly, brushing himself off. "Shane never does anything wrong, why would he? He's _perfect_." He shook his head as if bringing himself back to reality and stared at me. "What are you still doing here, Whore? Your precious boyfriend's in his cabin." And then he stalked off. I was confused, what was wrong with Nate? I shook my head and ran off to Joseph's cabin, he was sharing a cabin this year with two other boys, one of which Joseph was not happy about; Jason.

"Hi, Joey!" I chirped when I saw him, sitting on his bed with his guitar, his hair falling in his eyes as he played.

"Hey." Joseph smiled shyly, setting his guitar aside. "What's up?" Am I supposed to just blurt out 'I love you'? That'd probably scare him off.

"Nothin'." I shrugged casually. "Have you seen Nate lately?" I asked, I guess what he said was bugging me a little. Why was he so bitter about Joseph?

"Not since he left this morning." Joseph shrugged, looking endearingly confused. "Why?" I furowed my brow, was Nate Joseph's other roommate?

"I-I just ran into him is all." I replied slowly. "He just seemed different."

"Different to bully Nate or different to weirdly nice Nate?" Joseph cocked his head to the side curriously.

"I don't know, just different." I laid down on his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling. "Have you ever thought about love?" I asked, Joseph was probably getting confused with my subject changes right about now. I felt him lay down next to me and I flushed; sure we'd laid together before, but that was on the roof or in a boat, never on a bed. I mean we'd gone further on the roof last year than anywhere, but there was just something different about a bed.

"Sometimes." Joseph hummed, his hand shyly reaching for mine. "When I think about you." I smiled at that, he really was so sweet without even knowing it.

"I think about you too." I whispered, turning my head to face him and he was already looking at me with that goofy hearts-in-his-eyes look that was cute. "I think I love you, Joseph." I told him, looking into his intense brown eyes with gold and green flecks. "Like, real love, not puppy love or anything."

"My heart races when I think about you." Joseph murmured, turning onto his side and staring at me. "And my mouth goes dry." I moved to my side too and I felt him getting closer. "My hands get sweaty, I can't help but smile and grin like an idiot." I licked my lips in anticipation. "You control my dreams, my thoughts, my music. You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." I could feel his breath, warm and minty. "If I don't love you then I never want to know what love is." I couldn't help myself anymore, I kissed Joseph, my lips firm against his, demanding. He cradled my face gently as he kissed me back just as passionately.

Then I felt his lips part. The only boy I ever kissed was Joseph, so I had nothing to compare it to, but when we kissed like that - with tongue - it made me feel all hot inside and I wanted to keep doing it. Like the happiness of a million Christmas' with the heat of a Summer in the desert. I held Joseph to me and he cradled my face tenderly as our tongues hesitantly touhed. He tasted like cotton candy, mint, and cinnamon. Even though I'm allergic to cinnamon, it was Heavenly. Joseph slowly pressed me so my back was to the bed again and he was hovering over me as we kissed.

After a while when I was hazy and dizzy from not breathing and kissing Joseph he pulled away. I gasped for breath and slowly opened my eyes, he was staring at me; his eyes darker and intense, the gold and green standing out even more. Joseph smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. He kissed my parted, gasping lips softly once as I tried to catch my breath.

"Wow." I breathed out, flushing hotly as I laid back on his bed. Joseph dropped his head down and I felt him panting against my neck. "Joey." I cooed, my fingers threading through his silky black hair. "I love you." I was sure of it, the way he made me feel, the control over my emotions that he had.

"I love you." Joseph hummed against my neck and I smiled. He kissed my neck lightly. "You taste good." I blushed and I could feel his skin heat too. He kissed my neck again and I felt shivers run down my spine when his lips were parted slightly. "Mio Angelo." He whispered and my heart melted. Joseph kissed my neck again and I gasped when his tongue swiped slightly across my pulse point.

"Joseph." I gasped, letting out a weird sound from deep in my throat. He kissed the same spot and kept his lips there, parting them and swiping his tongue across my skin. He sucked lightly and grazed his teeth across the spot. My breathing went uneven all over again and I couldn't help but moan. It felt so good.

_**CR**_

_June 26th_

I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. I wanted to hit Joseph; when he was kissing my neck yesterday - even though it felt good - left a mark on my neck. Okay, so I didn't want to hit him, I would never want to hit him, but I did have a mark on my neck; about the size of a quarter and a bruisey purple color. Joseph gave me a hickey. I dumped out everything in my bag and found the make-up, there had to be something to cover it. Blush? I was already red enough. Mascarra? Lip gloss? I had to have foundation or something. I jumped when there was a knock on the cabin door.

"M-Miley?" Joseph's hesitant voice asked and I relaxed, going over to open the door.

"Are you okay?" I frowned, he looked worried and a little scared, but he got all shy at my question.

"Y-y-you weren't at-at breaekfast, I was wor-worried." Joseph mumbled, scuffing his shoe on the floor.

"I'm fine." I assured with a small smile. "It was your fault I wasn't at breakfast." I said as I went back to my make-up.

"Wh-what?" He must have been really worried if he was stuttering again. "I-w-why? Did-did I do something wr-wrong?" I sighed, how could I stay mad at him?

"You didn't do anything wrong." I sighed, finally finding something to cover the hickey. "You just gave me a hickey, and I was trying to figure out how to cover it." I pulled back my hair so he could see the mark and he blushed bright red.

"S-s-sorry." Joseph mumbled, looking down. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." I whispered, blushing. "I liked it."

"Y-you-you taste good." Well, I don't think this could much more awkward. "Like honey and mango." I flushed and bit my lip shyly. "I-I meant-I meant when I sa-said yesterday about-about- I love you, Miley." I pulled him over to sit on my bed and I put my hands on his shoulders.

"I love you, Joseph." I told him, looking in his beautiful eyes. Joseph's eyes would always be the most beautiful to me. "Now calm down and relax." I ordered and he cracked a shy smile.

"'Kay."

"Good." I leaned over and pecked his lips before I got up and went to go cover the mark he gave me. "What do you want to do today?"

"Anything with you." Joseph smiled goofilly at me. I put the finishing touches on my neck and winced; sure the mark was covered, but it was easy to tell something was there if you looked at it.

"You." I walked over and held his hands. "Are way too sweet." I kissed his lips lightly. "Let's go to our birdhouse." I decided and he grinned.

"Not as sweet as you." Joseph held my hand securely as we walked. "You're the best thing I ever tasted." He stopped me and looked down into my eyes intently. "Mio dolce perfezione."

"What does that mean?" I whispered, smiling at the way he seemed to look into my Soul.

"My sweet perfection." I blushed.

"You're too perfect." I cooed, kissing his lips softly. "And romantic." We started walking again, holding hands as we walked.

"I could teach you Italian if you want." Joseph offered.

"I'd like that." A way to spend more time with Joseph and I'd get to learn what all the sweet things he said to me meant.

"Good." We ended up at the dance class instead of woodshop. "But, first. Would you like this dance?" Joseph bowed formally and I giggled as I curtsied and accepted his hand.

"Of course." I agreed and he swept me into his arms. Dance class hadn't started yet, but there was music playing and other kids were dancing through the large room.

_**CR**_

_June 27th_

"This year, why don't we have a group from this class perform at Final Jam?" Brown clapped his hands as a way to start the class. It was just a general music class like last year. "Who'd we have last year?" He scanned the room; only three of us had performed at Final Jam last year. Joseph, me and Nate. And Nate stole one of Joseph's songs. "Shane and Nate, why don't you boys get up here?" Joseph sighed as he gotup from where we were sitting at the back. "And Marco, and James." Another two boys, my eyes widened when I recognised them as the boys who helped Nate bully Joseph last year. "And we'll finish up with Jason." Joseph frowned and glared when his cousins cousin/soon-to-be step-brother got up. "Drums, guitar, bass, keyboard, and singer." Brown listed to each boy.

"W-what song?" Joseph whispered, looking down as he picked up the guitar. He should be singer, he had a beautiful voice.

"Dude, don't be so... Meak." Nate rolled his eyes from the microphone and I was once again puzzled by him. Was he trying to be nice to Joseph because he had relly changed? Or so he could just hurt him more?

"Sorry." My sweet boy looked down and Nate sighed.

"The beauty of it is; you'll be writing your own song, together, as a group." Brown spoke between the cousins in his English accent. I saw Joseph frown, amye at the prospect of writing with Jason or Nate, or maybe it was just the prospect of having to write with other people. Music was a very personal thing for Joseph, not exactly something he was comfortable sharing with a group, especially when three of them had gone out of their way to bully him. "Let's start by getting on the same page, what do you each want the song to be about?"

"Girls!" Jason piped up and Joseph glared at him.

"Cars." Marco said from the keyboard.

"Love." Joseph whispered shyly, looking down, but somehow also peaking up at me.

"Food." I think maybe James was hungry.

"All the hot tail strutting around here." Nate smirked and I was reminded of how I met Joseph, on the bus last year. He told Nate it wasn't nice to speak like that and Nate pushed him for it.

"Easy, Nate." Brown shook his head. "Well, majority says girls, so a song about girls... How original." He rolled his eyes at the end.

"I don't want to do this, Uncle Brown." Joseph mumbled, his voice echoing through the room despite how soft it was.

"Why not, Son?" Brown sighed and I saw Joseph's jaw clench.

"I-I like to write on my own." He mumbled, shuffling his feet.

"This is a group project, Shane, it's time to start workin' with others." Brown said and he rolled his eyes.

"I never asked to be in this." Joseph muttered, gripping the neck of the guitar tightly.

"Just shut up, Stutter Boy." James snapped at him and Joseph looked down, ashamed.

"Hey, don't talk to him like that." Nate spoke up and I rolled my eyes, he was seriously standing up for Joseph? Like I said before, he was confusing.

"But, it's okay for you to?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up." Nate growled.

"Writing with others will help you, Shane." Brown said and I saw his fists clench.

"I don't want to do this, it's my artistic integrity you're just selling out." Joseph glared at his Uncle. "And my name is Joseph." He put the guitar down and stormed out.

"Hey, Bro, wait-" Nate started, but Joseph turned and glared.

"You're not my bro, you're not my friend, you bullied me for ten years, so don't pretend you care about me." Joseph yelled, shocking everyone.

* * *

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) Least favourite part of the chapter?  
3) What do you think of the beginings of the Nate revelation so far?  
4) What do you think of Joseph standing up to Brown?**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**CHAPTER FOUR**_

_July 3rd_

I was laying down in a boat, giggling. Joseph was sitting up next to me and he seemed to take great amusement in tickling me with a feather. The way we were, though, was kind of intimate. Every time Joseph would tickle my face he'd kiss me right after in the same spot. And each time the feather - and subsequesntly Joseph's lips - got closer and closer to my lips.

"You have a pretty laugh." Joseph whispered, tracing the feather across my cheek, tickling me and making me giggle again. Joseph leaned down and grazed his lips across my cheek in the same path as the feather. "You smell like flowers." I blushed when the feather ghosted the corner of my mouth and Joseph's lips soon followed. Any noise escaped me when the feather traced a delicate trail over my lips. "I love you, Miley." And then Joseph was kissing me full on the lips before I could respond. I reached up and my fingers slid easilly through Joseph's silky black hair, holding him to me as we kissed. When we broke away Joseph squirmed and the boat rocked. "This is kinda uncomfortable here." He observed and I giggled, moving over so he could lay down next to me. It was still cramped and a little uncomfortable, but we were closer and cuddled together and there wasn't a seat digging into Joseph's side anymore.

"I like it out here." I murmured wistfully, out here, in the middle of the lake it was just us. No-one else, and no-one could bother us. It's the like the rest of the world didn't matter when me and Joseph were out on this lake.

"Me too." Joseph smiled, nuzzled into my neck. "When we get maried in four years we should get a house by a lake." I laughed at that, he was still adamant that we would get married when we were eighteen... I think he had the wedding planned in his head for my 18th birthday. "Then we can go out and be like this whenever we want."

"Or we could get a houseboat." I added thoughtfully, the idea of marying Joseph made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. "Then we'd always be like this."

"You wanna have a picnic on the roof tomorrow, like last year?" Joseph asked after a while when we'd been silent.

"I'd love to." The roof was another thing we shared; just us, solitude and the romantic-ness of a picnic on the roof on the 4th of July with a conert and fireworks. "And I love you." I couldn't get enough of saying that since I realised it. I wanted to tell everyone, I wanted to shout it to the world. But, mostly I wanted to whisper it to Joseph when we were together in moments like this.

"I don't like. Like to. Be alone in the night." Joseph sang/whispered in my ear like a preecious secret. "I don't. Like to. Hear I'm wrong when I'm right." I smiled and listend to him as the boat rocked gently with the water. "And I don't. Like to. Have the rain on my shoes. But, I do. Love. You."

"I don't. Like to. See the sky painted grey." I knew this song too and started singing in the same soft whisper as Joseph had. "And I don't. Like when. Nothing's going my way." With Joseph, it felt like everything was going my way. "And I don't. Like to. Be the one with the blues. But I do. Love. You." I stroked his cheek tenderly. "But, I do. Love. You." Joseph grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, brushing them against my knuckles lightly.

"I could get used to this." Joseph smiled against my neck, his breath warm and heady as it touched my skin.

"Me too." I whispered as he hugged me and we just laid there. Content. "It's hot out here." I realised after a while, feeling moisture gathering from the sun. "We should go swimming."

"I-I-I can't swim, remember?" Joseph mumbled barely audibly, ashamed. He shouldn't be. He went through what I'm sure was a traumatic experience in the water when he was little.

"I'll teach you." I smiled and turned my head to kiss his forehead. "We don't have to go deep, I just wanna be in the water to cool off a little."

"Promise?" Joseph asked doubtfully, sitting up a little.

"Promise." I confirmed with a smile, sitting up as well. We sat up properly and rowed back to the shore. "I have to go get changed, I'll meet you back here." I kissed his cheek before running off to my cabin. When I got back to the lake Joseph was already there, in a pair of a boardshorts and a towel and he looked a little uncomfortable. "Hi." I blushed, I'd only seen him without a shirt twice before; when he was changing his muddy top at the start of camp last year after Nate pushed him and broke his glasses, and during sleepover night last year. I blushed and looked down when I saw him; the faint outline of muscles he'd had was more pronounced, the start of a six-pack forming.

"Hi." Joseph mimicked, sounding breathless and chocked. I finally looked up to his eyes and they were wide and his face was bright re as he stared at me. Joseph gaped for a few seconds, trying to form words. "W-w-wow." He finally choked out. I blushed and looked down again, embarassed; I was in my favourite blue with white polka dots bikini.

"Come on." I decided, biting my lip and walking to the water, dropping my towel on one of the upside down boats on he shore. I reached my hand out to Joseph and he looked hesitant for a second before I smiled reassuringly and he took my hand, following me faithfully.

"H-how deep?" Joseph asked nervously as we walked into the water.

"Not deep." I assured, squeezing his hand. "Relax, Joey."

"'Kay." Joseph smiled back at me weakly. I turned to face him and held both of his hands. We were up to my waist in the water now and I pulled his hands to my hips. "Can I kiss you?" I giggled and looked down shyly. He'd never asked if he could kiss me before. It somehow seemed more romantic.

"Yes." I fluttered my lashes up at him and he quickly leaned down, pressing his lips firmly against mine. I smiled against his lips and my hands went to his neck, pulling him closer.

_**CR**_

_July 4th_

"What a dork." Nate scoffed, rolling his eyes when Joseph ran past him. We were in the water again today, a little deeper this time and we were kissing and hugging and we were quite close; our bodies pressed together. And Joseph got a little... Excited. His boy parts got all hard and poked me a little, just like last year at the sleepover night. Joseph had run off, mortified, and almost hyperventilating before I could stop him. I was left in the water, blushing and all hot inside. I waded out of the lake and shot Nate a look.

"Seriously, do you hate him or what? It's confusing." I sighed, grabbing my towel.

"Shut up." Nate just glared at me.

"What's your problem?" I demanded, glaring right back at him. "Joseph is a sweet, sensitive boy, and you did nothing but torture him for ten years."

"Sweet boy?" Nate snorted, "more like everyone's favourite little attention freak."

"Joseph isn't an attention freak." I denied, seriously he was the sweetest boy on Earth. "He gets shy with more than two people around."

"Be more like Shane, Nate. Why can't you be like Shane? Shane's such a sweet boy." Nate mocked to me, clenching his fists tightly. "You can't have a birthday cake because Shane's allergic. Can't go to the amusement park because Shane'll have a panic attack. Shane's allergic to shellfish, Shane has asthma so we can't have a fog mahine at Nate's party, Shane has epilepsy so we can't go to the planitarium. Be more like Shane. Shane is so perfect." Nate started yelling angrilly and I took a step back from him, slightly scared. "My whole life it's always been; Shane, Shane, Shane. So, I try and be more like Shane and it's not enough. Nothing is ever perfect enough to be like perfect, attention freak Shane." I stood there in shock as Nate stormed away.

A few hours later I was still mulling over what Nate said when I crawled up onto the roof of Joseph's cabin where he'd set up a picnic just like last year. Joseph smiled shyly and blushed and mumbled incoherently as he lead me to the picnic. There was hot dogs and fruit and chocolate dipping sauce and a bunch of other stuff as we settled down to watch the concert.

"Joseph?" I asked, what Nate said was kind of bothering me.

"Yeah?" He hummed, he was playing with the ends of my hair and kept whispering sweet nothing's in my ear.

"Did Nate ever wanna go to the a planitarium?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"I think when we were kids for his birthday." Joseph shrugged, frowning a little in thought. "I don't know why he didn't."

"Because you're more at risk when there's flashing lights and they had a laser light show?" I guessed, sitting up.

"I don't think so." Joseph cocked his head endearingly. "I mean, I think I had a music class on that day anyway, so it shouldn't have been a factor." He shook his head in confussion.

"What about a fog machine at his birthday party?" I asked, biting my lip.

"The party was in our backyard so they could use the pool, and there was a concert stage and karaoke, but I wasn't even there. I was in my room playing guitar." Joseph replied innocently. It was slightly baffling as to why they had a pool when Joseph couldn't swim, but that was for another day. "Why? How'd you know about them?"

"Nate." I hummed and he frowned. "I-I-" Joseph was completely innocent. "I think Nate's jealous of you, and that's why he was mean." I theorised.

"Sure, Miles, Nate's jealous of me." Joseph scoffed, rolling his eyes. "With my vission problems, allergies, asthma, epilepsy how weak I am... Totally someone to be jealous of."

"It's just he said earlier-he said he wasn't allowed to do stuff because you couldn't and he couldn't have a birthday cake 'cause you were allergic. And he wasn't allowed light shows or fog machines or amusement parks 'cause you couldn't do it." I tried to explain and Joseph's mouth dropped open. "And he kept saying that everyone told him to be like you, but when he tried it wasn't good enough."

"I never knew that." Joseph muttered, his eyes wide and scared. "I just always wanted Nate to stop being mean to me, I never knew he couldn't do anything 'cause of me." He looked down over the cabin to where the other kids were either watching or participating in the concert. I should have just let me and Joseph enjoys the concert and the fireworks, but what Nate said had really been eating at me. And now I could see the guilt eating at Joseph which made me feel guilty for making him feel that way.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, looking down. Joseph came back and he looked at me with big, sad brown eyes. I new he wanted to go to Nate; appologise - even though he didn't know - explain to him, talk to him. It was fourteen years overdue, clearly, if Nate was going to just blow up like he did at me today. He needed to talk about it too. I sighed and pecked Joseph's lips softly. "Go find Nate." I told him, smiling sadly.

"N-n-no, I-" Joseph started shaking his head.

"I know you want to, and you both need it." I told him, sitting back.

"I love you, Baby." Joseph said, kissing my cheek before he started to scramble down the ladder, desperately searching for his cousin. It was amazing how one conversation could change someones perspective on a person. I sighed and sat back on the roof, watching the concert; this wasn't exactly how I imagined our 4th of July date going.

_**CR**_

_July 5th_

"Oh, my God!" I gasped when I walked into breakfast and I saw Joseph. "What happned?" I hurried over to him, cradling his face tenderly; he had a big black eye that was an angry purple-ish/black-ish/yellow-ish color and his eye was swelled half shut, and he had a split lip as well. Since he couldn't wear contacts with his eye like that he was back to his old glasses too. "What happened, Joseph? Who did this to you?" The last I'd seen of him was when he left our date last night to find Nate.

"Nothing." Joseph mumbled, looking away and squirming out of grasp.

"Nothing?" I sounded slightly hysterical. "Joseph, someone beat you up. You need to go to the nurse. And tell Brown."

"It's nothing, just drop it." Joseph grumbled, looking away.

"Joseph-"

"I said drop it." He snapped at me, glaring as he got up and stalked away. I sat there shocked. He'd never talked to me or looked at me like that before. I felt hurt. I thought we had a good relationship.

After that I felt sick and I couldn't eat breakfast. Why would he reat like that? Did I say something wrong? Was Joseph mad at me? I pushed my plteaway and got up, walking out. I didn't want to be alone right now, but I didn't want to be with people. I only wanted to be with Joseph. But, he was mad at me. I dragged my feet to class, maybe Joseph would be there and I could talk to him. Except Joseph didn't turn up to class, or the second one. I didn't bother going to the third class of the day. My stomach was in knotts, I was sad, I just wanted to know who hurt Joseph and why he was mad at me.

I found myself outside Joseph's cabin, staring at the wooden structure sadly I heaard a frustrated sound then a smash. Panicked, I ran over and threw the door open. Joseph was standing in the middle of the room, holding the neck of a guitar with strings and part of the bas still connected, but the rest was scattered across the floor and through the room. I gasped at the sight and Joseph looked over. That's when I saw the tears on his face. I hurried over, but he jerked away from me.

"Joseph-" I started, I was concerned, worried.

"Leave me alone." Joseph choked out, cutting me off.

"Joseph, please? I want to help you." I begged desperately. "Please don't be mad? I just want to help you."

"Yeah, well, your help made Nate beat me up." Joseph snapped and I gasped again. He sank to the floor, leaning back against one of the beds. "I-I-I went to t-talk to him last n-n-night, he got pissed and he beat me up." It was the first time I'd ever heard him swear and it was a bit of a shock to his system. "He said he hated me." His voice cracked. I hesitantly knelt next to him. "He never said he hated me before."

"I'm sorry." I cooed, reaching for him. I shouldn't have told Joseph what Nate said yesterday.

"You shouldn't have told me what he said, at least he didn't hate me completely then. And he didn't beat me up" He sniffed and scrubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Joseph, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to make it happen." I felt so guilty. Joseph leaned into me and I wrapped my arms around his as he cried.

"Sorry I yelled at you, I didn't mean it." I hummed as I ran my fingers through his hair soothingly. "P-plea-please don-please don't l-l-leave me?" He was such a sensitive boy; always so scared of people leaving or hating him. And he was a boy who wasn't afraid to cry. That was so rare, and it proved he had emotions. It was nice to know that there was aboy who was so in touch with his emotions. It was actually kind of hot.

"I'm sorry, Joey." I murmured, kissing his temple. "I'm so sorry. I love you."

* * *

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) Least favourite part of the chapter?  
3) Did you expect Nate to feel that way?  
4) How do you feel about Joseph reacting like that to Miley?  
5) I'm starting to get seriously upset. When a chapter gets 105 hits in 6 hours from 77 different people, why 3 days later does that chapter only have 2 reviews? The last chapter of QD only got 2 reviews and I will not update Crash World until I get 5 reviews on QD and at least 3 on this.**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**CHAPTER FIVE**_

_July 8th_

I was silent as I measured the wood for the second half of the birdhouse. The first half was complete; all three floors, plus the roof, and the complete left side of the birdhouse, an half of the back. The plan was to make two halves exactly the same and connect them at the back wall with hinges so it could open and close. And then we were gonna build a deck and the front of the house was gonna look like a real house. And we were putting the birdseed in the roof so it could go down tubes between the 'rooms' and feed the birds.

Joseph was silent as well. He'd barely talked at all in the last four days. I was still guilty that it was my fault that Nate beat him up. If I hadn't told him, he wouldn't have felt guilty and gone to talk to his cousin. I still couldn't understand why Nate would react like that though. Joseph was still upset and angry. I think he still blamed me too. Not that there was anything wrong with that, I blamed me too. If I kept my mouth shut he wouldn't have went to Nate, Nate wouldn't have gotten upset, he wouldn't have beat Joseph up or said he hated him, Joseph wouldn't be injured or upset, and he wouldn't have smashed one of his guitars.

"I can't do this." Joseph suddenly anounced, putting down his hammer with a sigh.

"Do what?" I asked, confused, a little worried.

"Not talking. I don't like it, I want us to be like before." I wanted that too, desperately. "I want there to be an us." He added in a whisper.

"What can I do?" I knew it was my fault and I desperately wanted to fix, whatever it was.

"It was good you told me, Miley, Nate's the one who reacted bad" Joseph sighed. "I wish he didn't hate me. Growing up I only wanted him to be my friend, or at least not be mean to me."

"I guess jealousy does weird things, especially when it's left to fester for more than ten years." I put down my pencil and measuring tape.

"Will you go on a date with me tomorrow?" Joseph asked, his bright brown eyes hesitant.

"Of course." I agreed and he let out a relieved breath.

"I'll try talking to Nate again, but I doubt it'll work." He sighed sadly. "At least I know why he's so mean now."

"It's not your fault." I tried to assure him. "You didn't know and you didn't want anything to happen."

"Nate still blames me." Joseph muttered pointedly. "And he has a right to."

"Not to be mean to you, or beat you up, or torture you the way he's done." Sure, Nate was jealous and he had a right to that, but it didn't mean he got to beat Joseph up for something he was completely innocent in. Joseph just shrugged and looked at me.

"I just don't wanna be... awkward with you anymore." He said shyly, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry I yelled at you and blamed you; I know you only wanted to help." He hadn't stopped appologising since he'd stopped crying that day.

"'S'okay." I shrugged.

"Can we stop being weird now?" He asked hopefully.

"I'd like that." I nodded, but we both knew it wasn't just that easy. Just saying it didn't make it happen. Joseph sighed and looked down.

"We-w-we will be like before... E-eventually... Right?" His big brown eyes with flecks of gold and green stared at me with sad hopefullness

"Right." I whispered, hoping it was true too. I leaned over and kissed his lips softly, making him smile shyly and turn an adorable shade of pink.

_**CR**_

_July 9th_

"Get lost, Freak." Nat glared at me harshly when I knocked on the door of the vabin Joseph, Nate and Jason shared.

"Hey." Joseph protested, crossing his arms. "Don't talk to Miley like that." He pushed between me and Nate and closed the door after him as he came out. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to see you." I shrugged casually and he smiled.

"I didn't talk to Nate." He said as if he knew what I was thinking; he always seemed to know what I thinking. "I tried, but he's ignoring me completely now." I frowned as we started walking. "Uncle Brown is gonna go psycho if Nate refuses to play with me tomorrow." He shook his head scornfully. Brown was still insisting on this 'group' project thing happening at Final Jam with Joseph and the four people he disliked most in this camp.

"I'll bring a camera to class." I hummed decidedly, Joseph chuckled and reached for my hand. "So, you're gonna do Final Jam with the other boys?" I asked, tilting my head a little.

"I guess I don't have a choice, Uncle Brown says if I don't then I won't be able to do Final Jam." Joseph muttered dejectedly.

"He can't do that to you." I was scandalised. "He has to have a real reason, he can't just suspend you for no legitimate reason."

"Can you tell him that?" Joseph asked, cracking a grin as we walked down the pier and sat, dangling our legs over the edge. "He intimidates me and makes me stutter still."

"You can stand up to him." I told him, smiling up at him with hearts in my eyes. "I know you can, I've seen you do it before."

"I'd only want to do Final Jam if it was with you anyway; last year was a lot of fun." Joseph dismissed as if it were nothing. As if his big dream in life wasn't to be a musician. "We coulda won last year if Nate didn't steal my song and get us disqualified. You were amazing."

"We were amazing." I corrected with a smile.

"We make the best music together." Joseph said as I rested my head on his shoulder. "It's like magic."

"Magic sounds about right." I giggled, pulling his hand into my lap and playing with his fingers. His fingers made amazing music; guitar, piano, writing lyrics, composing music. I brought his hand and kissed each of his fingertips tenderly. "Makin' music, makin' magic, makin' love like a hurricane makes havoc." I sang softly and Joseph laughed.

"That's really good." He praised andd I blushed. "We should write a song from it; you could perform it at Final Jam."

"I'd only want to do Final Jam with you." The only times I'd sun last year was either with or for Joseph. Sure, I love music, but I didn't want to be famous for it like he did. "You make it special." We sat in silence for a while until the sun started to go down.

"Sunset is always more beautiful with you." Joseph whispered, and I felt his lips touch my forehead. "Tutto è bello con lei, ma mai abbastanza bell'essere paragonato a lei."

"That sounds so beautiful." I sighed wistfully, Joseph was such a romantic Soul.

"Everything is beautiful with you, but never beautiful enough to be compared to you." Joseph translated and I practically swooned.

"If you're trying to melt my heart you already succeeded." I told him and he blushed lightly. We sat in silence for a while longer until the sun completely sank bellow the lake.

"Come on, our date is ready." Joseph jumped up, suddenly excited.

"'Kay." I mimicked what he usually said shyly.

"I hope you like it." Joseph said as he held my hand and led me to the dining hall. I cocked my head in slight confusion as he took me around the back instead of the going through the front doors. I think dinner would almost finished by now because there was another concert night tongiht.

"What are we doing, Joey?" I asked as he led me into the kitchens at the back.

"I-I-I didn't know what you like-what you liked on your pizza so-so I thought." Joseph blushed, scuffing his shoes. "I thought we could make our own... If-if-if you want."

"I never made pizza before." I said nervously, biting my lip.

"Do-do you wanna do something else?" Joseph asked with wide eyes.

"No." I decided, just like performing, one look at him and all my nerves were gone. "But, you gotta make sure I don't screw up."

"Promise." Joseph grinned, kissing my cheek. As he led me through the kitchens to an empty, pristine cooking area. As we walked I noticed papers pinned to cupboards and when we stopped there was a paper pinned to the top cupboard that had Joseph's full name, his picture and a list of things he was allergic to, then what to do if he had a reaction. I knew he had allergies, but there was, like, 15 things on that list. Shellfish, egg yolks, chicken, nuts, onion, pig of any kind, oranges, butter... They seemed simple, but it must have been hard to grow up having to watch everything he ate in case it could kill him. "It's not so bad." I snapped out of my thoughts when Joseph spoke, he was watching me read his allergies. "I mean, it's almost fifteen years and I'm still alive so it's not that hard."

"You only say that because you don't know anything else." I couldn't imagine waking up and Dad not making me bacon and eggs with orange juice on the first day of school. Joseph couldn't even eat bacon or drink orange juice, and he could only eat egg whites.

"Come on." Joseph shook his head and pulled me to the bench.

"Where'd you learn to cook?" I asked as I watched him gather the ingredients and start making the pizza base.

"Papi." Joseph grinned, adding each ingredient with practiced ease, not even having to measure anything. "And Mom, but Papi teaches me all the ancient family recipes from Italy." I smiled as I watched him. "We had to change it a little 'cause of my allergies, but Papi says it tastes exactly the same... Come here." He beckoned me over and I went shyly, blushing when Joseph put his arms on either side of me and put his hands over mine. He felt so close, I could feel his body heat pressed firmly against my back. We'd been this close before, and even face to face like this, but it always made me blush and feel shy.

"Ew." I instinctively retracted my hands when Joseph put them into the mixing bowl that felt all gooey and weird.

"It won't hurt you." Joseph laughed, holding my hands and guiding them back into the gooey mess. Joseph kept his arms around me and helped me to kneed the gooey mixture into a dough. I felt myself heat up when he kissed my cheek as we rolled the dough out. It was nice and intimate and romantic. I liked it.

_**CR**_

_July 10th_

"What do you mean you won't play?" Brown practically yelled at Nate. We were in our music class and I giggled when Joseph sent me a knowing look; Nate had just delared that he refused to be in the 'band' that Brown had formed out of our class.

"I refuse. I cannot play with that..." Nate struggled angrilly to find the word. "I won't do it."

"Shane..." Brown sighed in exhasperation, as if it was all his fault and my amusement disapeared. "Just-just tell me what happened."

"Can you try not to say that like Joseph's the bully and it's all his fault?" I spoke up, starting to feel angry myself.

"Yeah, because nothing is ever precious Shaney's fault." Nate rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know, Nate, I didn't mean to." Joseph said, with guilty, sad eyes.

"Shut up, Freak." Nate snapped at his cousin.

"Sorry." Joseph mumbled, looking down.

"I'm outta here, I won't play with that." Nate muttered, walking out of the room.

"Shane..." Brown sighed again.

"Don't try and blame him." I said, glaring.

"'S'okay, Miley." Joseph shrugged, running a hand through his hair and messing it up before his shoulders sagged and he walked out too.

"Hey, Bro, wait up!" Jason called, following Joseph and I winced. That wouldn't turn out good.

"Do you even know the meaning of 'fairness'?" I scoffed at Brown before I followed my boyfriend and his soon-to-be step-brother.

"I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Your. Brother!" I sighed when I heard Joseph carefully annunciating each word, yelling at Jason. "Just 'cause our parents are getting married doesn't mean we're ever gonna be family."

"Joseph." I ran over to him.

"Just leave me alone." Joseph demanded of Jason, walking away from him and I followed him when he held out his hand to me.

"Come with me." I dragged him over to one of the other buildings. The one I knew had a piano in it. "Let's play." I decided, sitting at the bench and opening the lid.

"Huh?" Joseph was shaken from his anger and upset and looked confused.

"Let's play." I repeated, tinkling my fingers across the keys lightly. "It relaxes you, and we have fun." I explained and he cocked his head for a second before he smiled.

"You always know how to make me feel good." He shook his head, an amused smile playing across his lips as his fingers joined mine on the keys.

* * *

**Okay, do I didn't get 5 reviews for the last chapter of Queen Diaries. HOnestly, compared to the number of hits the chapter has gotten it's really not much, especially when not too long ago I asked how many I should get and the responses ranged from 4 to 10.**

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) Least favourite part of the chapter? (Please do try and answer this, it's to help me become a better writer.)  
3) How do you see Joseph, Nate and Jason progressing from here to Connect 3?  
4) None of you are really observant to notice that I didn't start a countdown to Miley's birthday. I usually do it, like a month and a half beforehand, and I was waiting to see if anyone would notice :(  
5) 19 DAYS UNTIL MILEY CYRUS' 20TH BIRTHDAY! (I was waiting until it got to 20 to do 20 days to o if no-one had realised I hadn't started the countdown, but alas, I didn't update yesterday.**

**Please try and allow 4 reviews for this chapter before I update Crash World.**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**CHAPTER SIX**_

_July 14th_

"Lay down." I instructed, holding Joseph's hands and he looked puzzled.

"We're in water." He pointed out and I giggled. We were waist deep in the lake and I was teaching Joseph how to swim, then he was going to teach me Italian.

"It's okay, you just lay back and relax and you stay afloat." I assured, but he looked doubftul so I laid back and looked up at him as I floated. I saw him bit his lip and I righted myself as he sighed.

"You sure I won't drown?" He asked and I nodded, holding in a sigh.

"I promise, Joseph, we're in two and a half feet of water, even on your knees you wouldn't drown." I assured and he let out a breath. "It's okay, Baby." Joseph slowly laid back and I could see his unease as he let the water hold him.

"I-it's not so bad." Joseph observed and I smiled as he closed his eyes.

"See, you didn't drown." I smiled when he stood up again. "You're body naturally floats."

"It didn't when I was four." Joseph grumbled, shaking his head and I squeeled when the water fom his hair flew all over me.

"Swimming is just... It's just that, except, you know, you move your arms and legs and you're on your front." I shrugged lamely. "Hold your breath and come down." I grinned, taking a breath and dunking myself It was a few seconds and I was worried Joseph wouldn't come down as I sat on the lake floor.. But, then he sank down as well. Sitting down the water barely covered his hair, which was floating around him like a silky, black halo. I smiled and reached my hand out, holding his.

Joseph smiled hesitantly and I could see he was still scared. It was going to take more than a few days for him to stop being scared of drowning. But, at least he trusted me and he was here, completely submerged. I moved closer and reached my hands up to cup his neck. Joseph reached up and his fingers felt like air through the water. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. Kissing under water was a whole new experience. It' like, we're weightless, but he's the only thing ancoring me in place at the same time. It didn't last long, only a couple of seconds because we needed air, but it was amazing.

"I think I like swimming." Joseph blurted out when we caught our breath and I giggled, not saying anything, but instead hugging him and kissing him again.

"Lake kissing tastes gross." I made a face after a few kisses and Joseph laughed.

"Oh, good. I was hoping it wasn't just me." He let out a relieved breath and shook his hair like a dog when I stepped away from him.

"You sayin' my kisses don't taste good?" I teased, raising one eyebrow at him.

"No." Joseph grinned, reaching his arms out to me. "Your kisses taste amazing... The lake's kisses taste gross."

"We should shower." I decided after a while of just standing in Joseph's arms. "I don't wanna tast like lake water for th rest of the day."

"'Kay." Joseph agreed, whining as he let me go, but still holding my hand. I blushed and headed to the shore, grabbing up our towels and I tossed his at him.

"Where are you going?" I asked when Joseph started following me to my cabin so I could get clean clothes for after my shower.

"Shower." Joseph hummed casually. I eyed him for a second, but just shook my head, blushing when I opened my underwear drawer.

"You wanna get clean clothes?" I asked when Joseph just kept following me and made no move to go to his own cabin.

"I guess I should." Joseph shrugged so I started towards his cabin. After Joseph got clean clothes he kept following me like a lost puppy except he had this amused smirk on his face the whole time. His smirk turned into a grin when I started towards the girls showers and he just kept following me.

"What are you doing?" I stopped right outside the door and held my hands up, touching his warm, bare chest in a stop motion.

"Showering." Joseph answered cheekilly. "You said _we_ should shower, so..." He trailed off suggestively and I blushed bright red at the image of me and Joseph together. In a shower. That popped into my head.

"I shower here." I said, shaking my head - partially to get rid of that image that made me all hot inside. I pushed him back and put my hands on his shoulders, guiding him around to the boys showers. "You shower here." I took my hands off his shoulders and started to walk away, amused when he followed me again. "No." I said slowly, smiling, when I stopped outside the girls shower again.

"But, how are _we_ supposed to shower if you're here and I'm there?" Joseph asked innocently and I giggled.

"I shower here." I repeated. "In the **girls** showers." I talked slowly, like if I was talking to a kid. "And you shower there; in the **boys** showers. See, only girls shower here, so unless you're a girl..." I trailed off implyingly. Joseph didn't say anything so I started to step back into the shower room and he followed me again, grinning.

"I don't mind if I have to be a girl for one shower." I blushed again at the image of me and Joseph and a shower.

"Joey, Baby." I cooed, pushing him back out of the shower room. "You don't have the right stuff to be a girl. Now I shower here, and you go shower in the boys showers." I instructed, guiding him back around there. Joseph pouted and sighed exageratedly before he grinned and shrugged.

"It was worth a try." He dismissed with a cheeky grin, kissing my cheek.

_**CR**_

_July 16th_

I was sitting in an empty corner by myself. It sounded weird, but it was sleepover night in the concert hall and I had blankets and pillows and I was waiting for Joseph. I had new pajamas this year; light pink with dark pink hearts. When I saw Joseph my mouth dropped open and I didn't know whether to blush or laugh. He had white boxer shorts with a big red emergency sign right on the front like on the wall that said 'IN CASE OF EMERGENCY PULL DOWN'. Joseph flushed and put his hands in front of himself, covering the sign.

"Hey." Joseph mumbled, sitting next to me.

"Hi." I blushed, finally picking my jaw up off the floor. "Nice shorts."

"Thanks." He was so pink I think he could blend in with my pajamas. He pulled a pillow into his lap and shifted uncomfortably.

"Relax." I ordered, sitting back against the wall. "Let's just cuddle and watch movies."

"Like a date." Joseph grinned, leaning back next to me. Then he frown and furrowed his brow. "Except there's a hundred other people here too."

"There's only you and me here." I gestured to our little corner.

"Yeah." He smiled, putting the pillow behind his back and pulling a blanket over our laps. "You and me." He moved his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him.

An hour later neither of us were paying attention to the movie. Instead I'd brought an empty book and some pens and Joseph was writing words in Italian and I was responding by writing what I thought they meant. If I got it wrong - 90% of the time - Joseph would whisper what it meant in my ear, making me blush and giggle. Joseph smiled and drew a heart on the page with M. S + J. G = Year 3000. Then he looked at me hopefully. I giggled and shook my head making him frown. I cross out the Year 3000 and instead corrected it with Eternity silently. Joseph grinned and kissed me quickly. I smiled and bit my lip, reaching for Joseph's hand and I carefully pressed my marker into the skin on the inside of his wrist. Eternity. I wanted to remind him, make sure he knew that I wanted us to make it. Together. Joseph nuzled against my cheek before he took the marker and carefully wrote on my wrist as well. Amore Eterno. Eternal Love.

I looked up at Joseph, the flickering light of the giant projector screen glowing off of him. How did anyone find it possible not to love him? I leaned up and kissed him, my hand on his cheek, holding him to me. He tasted like what I imagine happiness would taste like. Or that could just be because he makes me so happy. It was a slow kiss, like what happens in the movies, soft and tender. I smiled against Joseph's lips as he kissed me back with the same love I felt for him. His lips, his hands on my neck and hip, it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Joseph pressed me into the corner and I couldn't help but giggle when he pulled away from my lips and started nuzzling my neck.

"You're beautiful." Joseph mumbled against my neck, kissing my skin with soft open-mouth kisses that left all hot and dizzy. "Perfect." He continued, blowing cool breaths of air over the place he just kissed, leaving me in shivers. He kissed my neck again and I was possitive he could feel the eratic thrumming of my racing pulse.

"J-Jooooeyy." I moaned out softly when he swiped his tongue over my pulse and sucked it between his teeth lightly.

"And so _hot_ when you sound like that." Joseph almost seemed to growl when he lifted his head and I flushed. I'd never heard him speak like that, or in that voice, it was heady and hot. Instead of responding I leaned forward and kissed him again. Hard. He tasted like minty toothpaste and chocolate marshmallows. I moaned against him again. Joseph nipped at my bottom lip playfully and I opened my mouth to him. All too soon Joseph pulled away abruptly. "'S'cuse me." He mumbled meakly, scrambling away. I felt confused and a little rejected until I saw him holding his hands in front of his emergency sign.

"Joseph, wai-" I started, I didn't want him to always be embarassed. But, before I could finish my sentence he was gone, running away. I sighed and sat back against the wall, feeling hot and flushed. I waited ten minutes, hoping he would come back. How long did it even take boys to get rid of them? I bit my lip and got up, following in the direction Joseph went. "Joseph?" I called out. Where would he go? I blushed and felt awkward at the thought of what he might be doing. I went to health class, I understood the basic premise. "Joey?" Out in the darkness, no-one else around, for some reason I felt like I was calling a dog. I found myself outside his cabin, the lights wwere on, but I didn't want to go in there, what if he was doing something? I sat on the steps outside the cabin and waited. Would he avoid me? He usually either avoided me after, or started to have a panic attack, or both. I hoped one day he'd get over the almost painful shyness he seemed to have.

"You can see through me." I heard Nate's voice. I guess Joseph wasn't in there. "... You know I'm just..." It sounded like Nate was struggling with something. I stood up, fully intending to go find Joseph and make sure he didn't start avoiding me or hyperventilating. "... Don't... Don't tell anyone?" Nate muttered and I looked back at the cabin when I heard him strum a guitar a few times. I think he was trying to write a song and he was stuck. "Ugh... Stupid thing." He groaned, scrunching up a paper. I slowly stepped away, I didn't want to eavesdrop on Nate.

"M-M-Miley!" I was on my way back to the sleepover when Joseph saw me.

"Hi." I blushed, remembering why I left in the first place. Because Joseph and I had been more interested in each other and he got excited and left.

"W-w-w-where-where we-where were you g-g-going?" Joseph stuttered out, his breathing already increasing.

"Joseph." I cooed, stepping closer, hugging him comfortingly. "It's okay, Joey, don't panic." I instructed and he slowly and hesitantly wrapped his arms around, strong and warm.

"You always make me calm down best." Joseph sighed, inhaling deeply and I smiled.

"I love you, Joey." I smiled up at him, he was taller than me, last year we were almost the same.

"I love you, Smiley Miley." He replied, kissing my lips softly. "Where were you?" Joseph asked after a couple of minutes, he'd come from the opposite direction to me.

"I was looking for you, I went to your cabin."

"Oh." Joseph flushed, looking away awkwardly. "I-I went-I went to the bathroom."

"Nate's in your cabin." I tried to sound casual as we pulled away from the hug.

"Why?" Joseph furrowed his brow in confussion.

"I think he's writing a song." I told him, stopping outside the building the sleepover was in. "I think..." I didn't want to cause another fight between them, especially when Nate had a tendancy to beat Joseph up. "I think he has an idea, and you can make anything sound like a good song." I bit my lip and he frowned.

"You think I should help?" He asked, confused and bewildered.

"I don't know." I shrugged, I honestly didn't know. "You're so calm when you're writing and he gets frustrated so easilly." Not really a winning combination. "But... I don't know." I eventually sighed. "I heard him and... I don't know." I repeated, shrugging lamely.

* * *

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) Least favourite part of the chapter?  
3) Any other thoughts?**

**4 reviews please? I'm trying not to be so demanding, but considering the amount of views they get I should hope they'd more reviews.**

**12 DAYS UNTIL MILEY CYRUS' 20TH BIRTHDAY!  
44 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!  
54 DAYS UNTIL MY 20TH BIRTHDAY!**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**CHAPTER SEVEN**_

_July 20th_

"Just because I let you help me, doesn't mean I like you." Nate snapped at Joseph as he tuned his guitar. After the sleepover night Joseph had gone to Nate and offered to help him with his song. At first he'd been indignant and stubborn, but before the end of the day he consented, I guess he was really desperate to finish the song.

"Okay." Joseph whispered, testing the guitar with a quick strum of the strings. The last three days he'd been helping Nate with his song, and except for one fist-fight on the first day that ended with Joseph having a split lip, Joseph said it was almost like they were getting along.

"And if you tell anyone I'll beat the crap out of you." Nate threatened and Joseph sighed, no doubt scared it was a real threat. "I don't want anyone thinking I need **your** help." Joseph nodded, looking down. "It's probably gonna be a stupid song anyway since you're involved." I gritted my teeth, I know Joseph said it was some sort of bonding experience for them, but I didn't like anyone insulting my Joseph, or his talent. Since my Dad was a music producer and scout for a record label in New York when he wasn't making his own albums, Joseph had convinced Nate for them to play the song for me. Joseph looked up and smiled shyly at me before he started strumming the chords to the song they'd written.

_I wrote these lyrics for you  
Please, can't you tell?  
What makes you think I need you  
Or anybody else?_

Joseph looked away as he played and Nate sang, it wasn't hard to know why with the glare Nate shot him with that last line.

_But, when you see me walking  
Staring at my feet  
You ask me what I'm thinking  
And I can't seem to speak_

Joseph smiled and Nate let out a sigh before he continued. It had a nice melody so far, and the lyrics were good.

_I hope this doesn't make you cry  
But, everything is not alright  
I told you for the millionth time  
That I don't want you in my life_

_But, you can see through me  
How you get to me_

At first I thought it was about a girl, but I don't know... It seemed a little like it describe Nate and Joseph, like a psuedo apology for the last fourteen years.

_You know I'm just a fraud  
I'm just afraid  
It won't be okay  
But, don't tell anyone  
Don't tell anyone_

_They tell me to be like you  
And that creeps me out  
I try hard not to fight you  
But, I can't keep it down  
All the voices tell me  
That I'm not being kind  
It wouldn't work to rush me  
I'll com around in time_

More and more it sounded like Nate talking to Joseph. People telling him to be more like Joseph, fighting, it sounded like what Nate had been happening from what Nate told me at the begining of the month.

_I hope one day you'll understand  
Right now I just don't think I can  
Forgive and forget just can't be done  
But, in time we might see the sun_

Nate repeated the chorus and I could see Joseph mouthing along to the lyrics. Three days and one song wouldn't magically make them best friends, and I knew Nate would follow through on his threat to beat Joseph up, but it sounded like he at least wanted to try.

_Life keeps going on  
The world keeps spinning round  
Can we stop going in circles?  
Am I afraid to grow?  
Or too confused to know?  
It's not your fault..._

It really was a great song. As they repeated the chorus another two times to finish it I found myself thinking that if my Dad was here he'd probably try and sign them... After he killed Joseph for kissing his little girl of course. Joseph plucked out the last notes and they both looked at me expectantly.

"That was amazing." I said truthfully and Joseph grinned.

"Really?" Nate asked warilly.

"Really." I assured. I mean, I don't suddenly like the guy, and he'd been tormenting my Joseph for their entire lives, but it was a great song. And it would hopefully mean they'd start getting along and Joseph wouldn't be so sad or nervous anymore.

"You should do it at Final Jam." Joseph suggested with a triumphant smile.

"Whatever, Moron, I'm outta here." Nate rolled his eyes and got up to walk away, but I could see a small smirk on his face as he left.

"You did good, Joey." I told him and he looked bashful. I think all the explaiing he'd been trying to do and spending the last three days with Nate had really gotten through to him.

"It was Nate." Joseph mumbled sheepishly. "I just helped him put it in order." I giggled and shook my head, if he could turn Nate from all out tormentor to a boy who was actually sorry for his actions, then I didn't know what he couldn't do.

_**CR**_

_July 22nd_

"What are you doing?" I couldn't help but ask when I saw Jason sitting on the dock by the lake with a fishing pole and a bucket of strawberries. Brown had asked to speak to Joseph and since he was both camp director and his uncle I couldn't very well protest, no matter how much I disliked the man.

"Fishing." Jason answered simply. "Make a note, strawberries don't make good bait, I haven't caught anything yet." He added and I gaped at him for a second. Was he serriously trying to catch fish with strawberries? What would possess him to think strawberries were a good source of bait? And in this lake?

"You do know there a no fish in this lake, right?" I asked hesitantly, a little weary of this boy.

"Really?" Jason looked at me with wide eyes. Sweet niblets!

"Really." I confirmed with a nod.

"Huh." Jason said thoughtfully, reeling his line and picking the strawberry currently on it off the hook, discolored and dripping with lake water and gross stuff. "Strawberry?" He offered, holding it out to me.

"No thanks." I barely managed not to gag. But, then he ate it himself and I couldn't hold it anymore. Disgusting. No wonder Joseph got so frustrated with him. "Gross." I whispered to myself.

"Hey, do you think Shane would build me a birdhouse like you guys' one?" Jason asked brightly.

"I don't know." I shook my head, at this point in time, the only reason I think Joseph would build anything for Jason would be if he was going to move into it.

"Did you know he talks in his sleep?" Jason continued as if it was part of the same conversation. Did this guy not know how to stay on track?

"No." I shook my head slowly.

"He says your name a lot." Jason added casually, eating another strawberry, though this time from the bucket. Not that I trusted the bucket to be very sanitary. "And sometimes he must fall asleep in the shower 'cause he says your name in the too." I blushed and gaped. Seriously? Did he have no notion of what should be private? Did he seriously think Joseph fell asleep in the shower? I blushed because even I knew that wasn't what was happening. "Like 'oh, Miley, Miley... Oh, God, Miley'. Maybe he's praying for you?"

"Jason." I choked out before he could say anything else.

"Yeah?" He looked at me all innocent and clueless.

"Shut up." I told him and he looked confused. "Joseph doesn't sleep in the shower and he wasn't praying, so just... Shut up." I felt like my face was overheated and it'd burst into fire any second. I got up and hurried away, if Jason talked like that when he was at home with Joseph then I could understand why he wanted him gone so badly. I wondered how long Joseph would be with Brown, maybe we could work on our birdhouse this afternoon? At this rate it could be finished by next Summer... And once again I was faced with the gnawing worry and fear of what would happen next Summer. Would we drift apart again? Would we still be together? I hoped we'd still be together... Then again I hoped that last year. And this happened this year, we're together... Are we still together from last year or were we together again?

"Ciao, Sfarzoso." Joseph ran up behind me and kissed my cheek, then he kissed my oher cheek and grinned.

"Hi, Joey." I blushed, half the time I didn't understand what he was saying, but the way he said it, looking at me so sweet and intense, I knew it was something good. He had been giving me Italian lessons, but it was slow because every time we'd start he'd be all charming and sweet and it didn't take us long to get distracted. Just like our swimming lessons, we usually ended up kissing in the lake. "What did Brown want?" I asked as he reached for my hand.

"He said I can play at Final Jam." Joseph said, but he frowned and looked down.

"But?" I pressed, concerned.

"He called my Mom and she agreed and he says I can only play at Final Jam if it's with Nate and Jason, 'cause Mom says it will help us bond or whatever." Joseph grumbled, kicking a rock on the ground. "I don't want to bond with Jason, I want him to go away."

"He was trying to fish in the lake using strawberries." I told him what I just experienced.

"There are no fish in the lake." Joseph said, cocking his head.

"That's what I said." I giggled.

"Strawberries?"

"And then he ate one off the hook, right out of the lake." I shuddered and he gagged.

"Mom says 'cause he's gonna be my step-brother I have to get along with him." Joseph whined as we walked around the camp with no real direction. "I wish he wouldn't be my step-brother."

"Maybe he's okay?" I suggested with a shrug. "Deep down?"

"Deep, deep, deep down." Joseph muttered before he sighed. "I guess he's not so bad." He ventured kind of dispondantly. "He likes music, and he's actually really good on guitar, but he's just so dumb and he won't leave me alone. Ever."

"Are you gonna do Final Jam?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Guess it depends if Nate's not a jerk and Jason's not dumb." He sighed, "Brown says if we do it we need to write a song together. We're just all too different."

"I know one thing you have in common." I hummed with a knowing smile.

"What?" Joseph was cofused, cocking his head and looking at me all quizical. It was endearing.

"Music."

_**CR**_

_July 24th_

I hummed to myself as I wrote down my lyrics, already thinking ahead for the next chords of the song. Joseph was with Nate and Jason, talking. They hadn't agreed to anything, yet, but they were talking. I guess right now that was as good as it was going to get. As much as I didn't like Nate for everything he'd done to Joseph, I did hope that he could at least be civil with his cousin. And it didn't seem like much could be done about Jason becoming his step-brother, so the best thing would be for them to get along.

"Never try to push or make me different." I sang under my breath, plucking a few chords on my guitar before I wrote it down. "When I talk you listen." Even if it was just something stupid Joseph always listened to me and never made me feel like I was wrong. He was sweet like that. I wondered sometimes where he got it from, his Mom, hs Dad, he seemed very close with his Papi Or maybe it was just a Joseph thing? Like the way his eyes shined brightly when he was happy; like the sun glittering through a forrest. "I know I've found the piece that's missing, I'm looking at him." I sighed, how was it that one boy could make me feel so much? It was like he knew everything about me and it was his mission in life to make me love him more with every word he spoke. It scared me a little how much I felt for Joseph.

I set my guitar down and closed my book. Joseph was the inspiration for my song, but it was so hard to concentrate when I was thinking about Joseph. It was catch 22. Would I get better at it? Controlling my thoughts of Joseph? I sighed and laid back on my bed. There was less than a month left of Camp Rock, less than a month to figure out what I was going to do... Not that I could decide anything, it was for both me and Joseph to decide and figure out together.

Maybe it would work this year? I hoped so, but I also hoped last year.

"Don't stop!" I jumped at the voice, turning to the window where Joseph was peaking over the window sill like a doe in the headlights.

"Joseph?" I furrowed my brow, when did he get here? Why was he outside? Did he call to me and I was too engrossed in my own thoughts to hear him?

"Sorry." Joseph mumbled, climbin through the window. "I liked hearing you play." He explained, sitting on my bed opposite me.

"How'd it go with Nate and Jason?" I asked, cocking my head as Joseph laid down on my bed and stared at me.

"I'd rather not talk about them." Joseph pouted and I think this is the first time I've seen him pout, it was so cute and endearing. "What song were you writing."

"I don't know yet." I laid down next to him, cuddling into his side a little. "It's about you." Then again, most of my songs were about Joseph, so that wasn't really saying much.

"I have a new song about you too." Joesph said, reaching up and I flushed when he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, his fingers trailing across my cheek. "A beautiful girl with a beautiful, she had me hooked right from the start." I blushed darker as he sang softly. "L'individuo il piú fortunato nel mondo, posso chiamare lei il mio." He sang, switching languages and even thought he'd only taught me rudimentary Italian so far it made my heart swoon because half of the words I knew were him complimenting me. He nuzzled against me lightly and whispered in my ear. "The luckiest guy in the world, I get to call you mine." I couldn't help but kiss him after that.

* * *

**1) HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY MILEY!  
2) Favourite part?  
3) Least favourite part?  
4) How do you feel about the progression of Joseph and Nate's relationship?  
5) HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY MILEY!**

**2nd update of Miley's birthday... Ignore the comment about sleep in Crash World!**

**Can you believe Miley's already 20? The first time I saw Hannah Montana was 2007, we were both 14... And now it's already six years later.  
6) What's been your favourite Miley memory so far?**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**CHAPTER EIGHT**_

_July 28th_

"We were gonna be epic together." Joseph pouted wistfully. We were out on the lake in a boat after he had a meeting with Brown. Brown had apparently called Joseph's Mom and she agreed that it was a good idea to 'encourage' - when what they really meant was force - Joseph to do a group performance at Final Jam with Nate and Jason. They'd been talking, but that didn't mean he wanted to perform with them at Final Jam. Joseph wanted us to perform together again like last year. And truth be told, I didn't want to perform without him either. He made me comfortable enough on stage to actually enjoy myself.

"We can still be epic." I assured him, looking up at him from where I was nestled in the crook of his arm. "Just... It'll be as Joseph and Miley, birdhouse extroadnaires instead of onstage."

"'Kay." Joseph sighed, absently playing with the ends of my hair. "When we finish our birdhouse should we make another one?" He asked with wide brown eyes,

"I don't know." I shrugged, is that what we'd do? Every time we finished a birdhouse just build another one? How many birdhouses can we build? "Or we could do something else?" I suggested, "maybe we could make our own guitar."

"That would be awesome!" Joseph sat up, excited. "It would be the most awesomest guitar ever."

"Slow down, Cowboy, we still gotta finish the birdhouse." I giggled and he blushed shyly.

"You'll still sing won't you?" Joseph asked after a few minutes, laying back next to me. I looked up at him, his eyes pleading with me. "You sing so beautiful, and your songs are amazing."

"I don't think I'll do Final Jam." I denied and he shrugged.

"You don't have to be famous, just I wanna always hear you sing." He explained and I smiled.

"I'll always sing for you, Joey." I told him and he grinned. "Just like we'll always make our music together, it just won't be for other people."

"I like that." Joseph leaned closer and I felt myself heat up as we got closer together and I felt his warm breath on my cheek.

"HEY, STUTTER-FREAK!" Someone yelled and my smile turned to a frown as Joseph sat up again. I sat up too and sighed when I saw Nate on the shore. "IF I'M BEING FORCED TO DO THIS I WON'T LET YOU MAKE ME LOOK STUPID!"

"I should go." Joseph mumbled, sitting up properly and reaching for the oars. "I'd ask you to come, but I don't want to give Nate the chance to be mean to you."

"He's being mean to you again?" I asked, helping him row.

"It's not so bad, just names, it's actually very tame for Nate." He shrugged casually, as if it were normal. For him, I guess it was. "At least he hasn't tried to drown me this Summer." He cracked a grin and I winced. My poor boy.

"I love you, Joey." I told him, pecking his lips softly when we got to shore and he smile, a real bright smile full of happiness.

"I love you, Miles." He parrotted back before scrambling out of the boat and holding a hand out for me. "See you later?"

"Try and stop me." I agreed, watching him walk towards Nate. Even if Joseph and Nate did end up on better terms and he forage his cousin, I don't think I'd ever be able to. Joseph was the one bullied and who had to put up with it for years, but I was the one who would hold a grudge, I couldn't ever forgive Nate for making Joseph feel the way he did; unloved and unwanted.

"Miss Miley." I ran into Brown on my way back to my cabin. "Just the little lady I was looking for." That made me aprehensive, the last time Brown and I were one-on-one was last Summer when I yelled at him and accused him of being the reason Joseph stuttered.

"Hi." I muttered, eyeing him warilly.

"Relax, Child, I don't bite." Brown rolled his eyes. "Listen, I know we didn't get off on a high note, but I need a little insight and I thought you could provide it."

"Me?" I was surprised, what could I possibly give Brown insight on?

"Yes, you. My nephew seems to be completely under your spell." As if I was using him. I care about Joseph, I love him. "And he's been pulling away fom his family, snapping at people for no reason."

"What can I do?" I asked, confused.

"He's not like that with you." Brown answered as if it were obvious. "He's the same boy he used to be when he's around you, and I'm trying to figure out what's going on in his head." Did he really change that much between last Summer and this Summer? He was the same sweet Joseph with me, a little more confident and mature, but still the same boy. "His mother is starting to worry about him." My eyes widened, it was that bad? "The confidence is good, and we've been hoping he'd stand up to Nate for years, but he's snapping and angry and moody, you seem to be the cure. I was hoping you could help me understand my nephew."

"You want me to talk to him?" I asked softly.

"If anyone can it would be you." Brown shrugged as we arrived at my cabin. "I'll leave you to your music." How did he know that's what I was going to do? Then again, this is music camp.

"Have you tried talking to Joseph?" I asked before he could leave.

"He refuses to talk to anyone other than you. The last few months you weren't talking he was particularly unpleasent." Brown said with a frown before he left. Joseph, unpleasent? The two words sounded foreign together.

_**CR**_

_July 30th_

Joseph, Jason and Nate were sitting in the room with the piano and a couple of guitars. I watched from the window of the woodshop cabin. It was quite a distance, even from here I could see Joseph's smile. He was happy, he was with his cousin and his soon-to-be step-brother and he was happy. Music really was the way to my boys heart. Brown could say he was as moody and angry as he wanted, but give him a guitar and he'd always be my sweet boy that I fell in love with. Though I had kept a closer eye on him the last couple of days for the changes Brown insisted had happened, but the only time I could think of was when he was mad at me after Nate beat him up because I told him how he felt resentful and jealous. But, that was a perfectly natural reaction, I think.

"Miley!" I snapped my attention back to Andrew, the councilor in charge of woodshop. "You need to focus in here, we don't want to send you home without any fingers." He chastised and I nodded quickly. I wasn't working on the birdhouse, that was for me and Joseph to do together. But, his birthday was only 16 days away. "Now, do you have the design?"

"Yeah." I muttered, looking down at the paper in front of me. "But, I don't know what to write on it." I sighed. Joseph was the romantic one, I couldn't only say it in a song, but Joseph could be so romantic all the time. Music, words, touches, kisses, he just knew the way to a girls heart. Since Joseph seemed to like the bracelet I made him last year I wanted to make him something again this year, but I thought a necklace would be too girly so it was going to be a keychain with different charms on it... I guess the boy version of a charm bracelet. So far I knew there was going to be a guitar and a music note, and a normal shaped keychain tage with 'Joseph + Miley' on it, but even though it was girly I wanted to put a heart on it, but I didn't know what to write on it.

"It's for that sweet talker?" Andrew asked and I blushed, looking down. "Trust me, that kid is so head over heels for you that you could write pineapple pizza on it and he'd think it was awesome." He rolled his eyes. "Let me see the designs." He requested and I stepped back so he could see. "They're very detailed.." Andrew mused, looking at the little drawings. "It's a good thing you're starting now if you want them all done in two weeks. It could take a while to get all the little details done."

"Is it too much?" I worried, I didn't want to overdo it and scare Joseph off.

"He'll love it." Andrew assured me. "Since it could take the longest because it has the most detail, why don't you start with the guitar?" He suggest, finding a small block of wood and I nodded. This could take days, I mused, as I stared at the block, trying to figure out where to start.

"How do I do it?" I frowned at the wood. The bracelet last year was a lot easier, just beads and a string.

"Start by drawing it on and we'll work around it." Andrew advised.

"Drawing what?" I was startled by Jason's voice. I thought he was still with Nate and Joseph, they were apparently writing their own song together for Final Jam.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, I wanted it to be a surprise for Joseph, what if Jason told him? He didn't seem like the sharpest crayon in the box.

"Shane said he wouldn't make me a birdhouse." Jason frowned, eyeing me. "What are you drawing? Shouldn't you be in the crafts cabin if you're drawing? This is woodshop."

"I know." I hummed as he stepped closer to me. "Aren't you supposed to be with Joseph and Nate?"

"They started fighting so I left." Jason shrugged, looking down at my block of wood. "What's that supposed to be? 'Cause it'd make a great paperweight." I rolled mye eyes at him.

"It's not anything yet." I tried to resist snapping at him. "What were they fighting about? Is Joseph okay? Nate didn't hurt him, did he?" I worried, Joseph wouldn't fight back. At least not against Nate.

"Nah, they were fighting about the song, then Nate just pushed him and walked out." Jaon shrugged, eyeing the wood now. "Why are you building a block of wood?" He looked confused.

"I'm not building a block of wood." I tried to keep my patience. "Is Joseph okay?"

"He's writing a song. Why do you call him Joseph?" Jason cocked his head.

"Because that's his name." I looked out the window. Joseph was still in the room with the piano, sitting at it, bent over and moving back and forth as he played. A beautiful sight to go with what I'm possitive was beautiful music.

"But, everyone calls him Shane." Jason pointed out.

"Did you ever think that he might preffer Joseph?" I snapped, giving up on my patience. Four years in New York had not made me patient to Jason's apparent stupidity.

"No" Jason seemed absolutely oblivious. "So if it's not a paperweight what is it?"

"It's going to be a keychain." I muttered and he frowned. "When I can start making it into one." I said pointedly.

"You haven't started yet?" Jason asked, "good, 'cause otherwise I'd say it's not a very good one."

"What are you doing here, Jason?" I sighed in frustration.

"Shane said he wouldn't make me a birdhouse." Jason said as if it were obvious.

"So you want to make one yourself?" I prompted, hoping that would get him to start, but it just made him look surprised.

"No. I was hoping you'd make me one." Jason grinned.

"I'm kinda trying to make Joseph a birthday present here." I gestured to the block of wood.

"The paperweight?" Jason looked confused again.

"No, when you let me start it's going to be a keychain." I gripped the table in front of me tightly so my knuckles turned white.

"It's very big for a keychain." Jason observed.

"When I'm finished, which would require me to start, it's going to be a lot smaller."

_**CR**_

_August 1st_

"Hey." I sat next to Joseph at breakfast and he looked up from frowning at the paper in front of him. For a second I thought it was another letter from his Mom, but then I saw the music notes on it.

"Hey." Joseph mimicked, looking confused for something.

"You okay, Baby?" I asked, slightly worried and he shook himself out of it.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a song." He brushed it off, smiling at me and putting the paper down. "Wanna do something today?"

"Yeah." I agreed, since he was writing and performing with Nate and Jason he'd been spending a lot of time with them whilst I'd been spending most of my free time in woodshop trying to build the charms for the keychain. "Like what?"

"Like we could go on the lake and explore the caves?" Joseph suggested with a shy smile. "Just you and me."

"I'd like that." I hummed, blushing at the way he looked at me before turning to my breakfast.  
An hour later we were sitting in a boat as it drifted and our conversation had somehow gotten onto the topic of Brown and I ended up telling Joseph how Brown said he'd changed over the last year.  
"He says you're moody and angry." I whispered, looking down at my hands nervously. "He says your Mom is even worried about you."

"Like she'd even notice." Joseph scoffed bitterly and I was surprised, I'd never heard him talk about his Mom with such distatse before. "All she does is spend time with Jason's Dad and say how I should accept them and forgive Nate and be best friends with Jason." I looked up at Joseph, but he didn't look bitter like his tone, he looked sad. "Papi is the only one who listens to me any more." He suddenly looked abashed. "Well, Papi and you." He ammended and I smiled a little. "Mom all gaga over Jason's Dad, and they moved in, and Jason's trying to take over my whole life, and Nate's being confusing with wanting to be my best friend one minute and then hating me the next and... Ugh..." Joseph pulled at the ends of his hair, looking frustrated. "I just want it to go back to being like last year."

"You don't want anything to change." I guessed and he looked up at me and I could see the struggle in his beautiful brown eyes with gold and green flecks.

"Papi is sick." Joseph whispered. "Uncle Brown is always talking about business and record labels and the best time to release a single and stuff, and Mom is always with Mister Jonas, and they just kinda... Forget about Papi." He was close to his grandfather, I knew that much, him being sick must really be tearing at him. "I just want it to be like last year when Papi was okay." He sniffed a little and reached up to rub his eyes.

"It's okay, Joey." I moved closer and wrapped an arm around, resting my head on his shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay to be upset."

"Papi was always there; when Dad died, when Nate was bullying me, no matter what Papi's always been there, but now..." I heard him sob and he held him tighter.

"Let it out, Joseph." I urged softly and he held me, pulling me closer, practically into his lap.

"I already lost my Dad, why do I have to lose Papi too?" Joseph's words were muffled by my hair and I didn't know what to do except hold him.

* * *

**New week. New chapter. New insights...**

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) What would you have liked to be different?  
3) 362 DAYS UNTIL MILEY'S 21ST BIRTHDAY... Is it too soon to start the next countdown?  
4) 29 day til Christmas.  
5) I think part 3 (the 3rd Summer for Miley and Joseph) is going to be in Joseph's point of view... How would all of you feel about that?  
6) What do you want to see happen in the final 2 chapters of this Summer?**

**4 reviews with the questions answered for the next update (Crash World).**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**CHAPTER NINE**_

_August 6th_

"It's like banging my head against a brick wall!" Joseph announced, flopping down on my bed and throwing his arm over his eyes. "Stupid, pointless, and all it gets me is a headache." He'd been with Nate and Jason again this morning, working on their song and I take it that it didn't go so well.

"What happened?" I asked, setting my computer aside.

"Jason decided half way through writing that he wants it to be about bunnies, and Nate wants to do the whole thing solo with the spotlight on him as the Nate Lucas show with those two other guys as his backing band." Joseph vented as I threaded my fingers through his silky black hair. "I'm trying, Miley, I really am, but they make it so hard." He whined, moving his arm so he could look up at me with puppy dog brown eyes.

"It's okay, Baby, you can do it." I assured him, smiling down at him.

"I'm not changing the whole song now so it's about bunnies." He said and I giggled. "I don't even know what I'd write about bunnies." I saw his eyes move as his brain worked. "Fluffy and cuddly with a pink little nose. A hug from a bunny worth more than a rose..." He furrowed his brow and I giggled again.

"I guess there can be a song about bunnies." I mused and he rolled his beautiful brown eyes.

"Don't let Jason hear that. I swear, he's ADD or something." Joseph shook his head. "You always make me feel better." He sighed, turning his head into my lap and I smiled.

"I didn't do anything, Joey." I denied, because it was true. All I did was sit here with him.

"You listened to me." Joseph murmured, "and you didn't judge me. And just being near you makes me feel better when I'm upset."

"Only 'cause I love you." I cooed and he grinned, sitting up.

"I love you too, Miles." He reached up and stroked my cheek. "And I'll never stop telling you that, one way or another." I blushed as he leaned closer and our lips touched. He kissed me with a loving tenderness I only ever saw in movies and it made me swoon into his touch. His lips felt like velvet as he gently pressed me into the headboard of my bed. "Are you okay?" He pulled back when I squirmed.

"Kinda uncomfortable." I muttered, shifting and Joseph started to move away from me. "Don't go." I fisted my hands in his shirt desperately.

"Okay." Joseph agreed, his voice a husky whisper. I laid down on my bed and pulled him with me, attaching my lips to his again. He tasted like apples and coconut... An odd combination, but weirdly delicious on Joseph's lips and tongue. Joseph tangled on hand in my hair, cradling my head to him and one hand on my hip as our bodies pressed together in a way I don't think we ever had before. We were so close, every inch of our bodies touching, it was the most intimate moment of my life. It was in that moment that I decided that Joseph was my everything. I'd do anything to be with him, to see him happy, to be the one to make him happy. Joseph pulled back and looked at me, confused. Did I stop kissing him? Did I do something funny? Or did he just know in that Joseph way of his that I'd had an epiphany. "You okay, Baby?"

"I love you." Was my response, not quite knowing how else to articulate it. Because it really was that simple. I love Joseph.

"I love you too." Joseph grinned, leaning down again and nuzzling into my neck. "One day I'm gonna figure out the words to tell you how much."

_**CR**_

_August 8th_

I watched the three boys from my cabin as they were sitting at one of the picnic tables nearby. Nate said something with a scoff and Joseph rolled his eyes and shook his head. That was how cousins were supposed to be, it was clear that Nte was teasing Joseph, except this time it wasn't in a mean or cruel way. They were writing their song and I could see that even Jason was participating, strumming on his guitar and writing things down every few seconds after he got aproval from the other two. He really did have a talen with his guitar, he could be one of the greats to be talked about in history, he just had to learn to focus a little. Maybe Joseph was right about the ADD idea.

"Hi, Dad?" I answered my phone when it rang. Once upon a time we were so close. I was such a Daddy's girl, and I'd do everything with him. Then Mom died. After Mom died four years ago everything became about music and fame and business for Dad. Jackson because a guitarist and Dad started pressuring me into music. That's when I started resenting music, and Dad.

"Hey, Bud." Dad's Tennessee twang sounded through the speaker. "How's camp?" I did have to admit that the best thing in a long time was when Dad forced me to come to Camp Rock last year. That's how I met Joseph.

"Camp is good, Dad." I told him, still confused, he never called me at camp. He hardly ever called me when he was on tour that was sometimes for up to 9 months to a year at a time. Hearing him call me Bud made me wistful and sad for the time when I was little and he was my hero.

"That's great, Miles." Dad said and I could feel the awkwardness radiating. When was the last conversationg I had with my Dad? Was it before the Summer? No, he'd been busy with a new artist for two months before the Summer. Jackson's birthday in March? No, he had a concert that night and him and Jackson performed together as he proudly anounced his first-born was the most talented child a man could ask for. I felt heartbroken when he said that. "You havin' fun? Makin' lots of friends?" He continued, he'd always been one for beating around the bush. When my nanny - Rachel - first told him I needed a bra it took him half an hour of talking about the freaking _weather_ and _sports_ before I realised he was trying to give me 'the talk'.

"Yeah, Dad, everything is good." I sighed. I missed the way me and Dad used to be. Sometimes I wondered if it was possible for us to ever get back to that, but ever since Mom died he'd been all work and no Miley.

"That's great." He repeated before I heard talking in the background and he sighed. "Listen, Bud, I gotta go, but I'll see you on the sixteenth, okay?" And then the line was dead. The 16th? Camp didn't end until the 17th, Final Jam was the 16th. Which is just over a week from now. I shook my head, he was just busy and getting his dates mixed up, I was sure.

"YOU STUPID IDIOT!" My attention was brought back to Camp Rock, California by a commotion outside. I could get depressed over Dad another time. I stood up and went to my window, looking out to see what was going on. I gasp when I recognised the two dark-haired figures fighting through the gathering crowd. I ran out of my cabin and gaped from the sidelines. Joseph and Nate were rolling around on the ground, fighting. Actual fighting, not just Nate beating Joseph up, he was fighting back, and I think he was winning.

"Sweet niblets." I whispered, watching them. I didn't know what to do. Five minutes ago they were getting along just fine. Now it looked like Joseph wanted to rip Nate's throat out. "Joseph!" I called, but he didn't seem to hear me. "Joseph, stop it." Joseph finally looked up and I gasped and shrunk back at the red hot look in his eyes.

"Joseph Shane Gray!" Brown's voice boomed through the gathering crowd. "And Nahanial Thomas Lucas!" Brown walked over and easilly lifted Joseph off Nate, despite both of them fighting to get at each other. "Both of you need to cool off then come see me in my office." He ordered, keeping them apart easilly. "You both know how much I hate bein' uncool." He shook his head and walked off with a disapointed look at both of them. Joseph stormed off in one driection and Nate went the other way, I didn't bother looking to see where Nate was going. I only wanted to make sure Joseph was okay.

"Joseph!" I ran after him and he stopped walking away, instead turning to pace across the shore of the lake. "Joseph, stop!" I grabbed his face and he stilled. His lip was bleeding, his hair was a mess, he was covered in dirt, and his hands had blood on them - Nate's I think - but he didn't appear to be too injured. "What happened, Joseph?" I asked softly when I was sure he was okay.

"Ugh!" Joseph pushed my hands off and started pacing again, running his hands through his hair and gripping the ends tightly. "He makes me so angry." He started pacing the other way so he was walking halfway onto the pier every time. "Everything he says, everything he does, I was stupid to think we could be any sort of friends." Joseph vented whilst I just watched, I didn't know what to say or do. "He only cares about himself, he's a self-centered, narcisistic jerk." I walked onto the pier after him and right after he finished speaking I pushed him off the edge of the pier and into the lake. "What the Hell was that for?" Joseph spluttered when he resurfaced and I sat on the edge.

"You needed to cool off." I shrugged and he glared at me. It hurt that Joseph was glaring at me, but considering I just pushed him into the lake I deserved it so I tried not to dwell on it.

"Don't you know I almost drowned before?" Joseph snapped, climbing out of the lake, dripping wet.

"What did Nate say to make you so angry?" I asked in a soft, soothing voice and Joseph sat next to me with a sigh.

"He said you were only my girlfriend because you felt sorry for me and so you could go back to your friends and laugh at the stupid idiot who actually thought a girl might like him." Joseph mumbled and I felt a streak of anger and Nate ignite within me.

"That's not true." I murmured, I would never do that. Especially not to Joseph.

"But, I don't understand, one minute we were fine and we were talking about song lyrics; and I wanted to have something about 'become a better man' and Nate said I wasn't a man, but it wasn't mean or anything, and then I said you said I was a man-" he flushed and I smiled at him reassuringly. "-and then Nate said that you were ugly and untalented and stupid if you were with me so it didn't count and that's when I started getting mad." He looked at me with a confused, hurt expression. "What happened? What changed that made him mean again?"

"I don't know." I sighed, I was the reason Joseph and Nate were fighting. "Don't fight with Nate about me, Joseph, it's not worth-"

"You _are_ worth it, Miley." Joseph interrupted feircely. "You're worth the whole world."

"So, who called who a stupid idiot?" I asked, getting back on track and Joseph turned sad, hunching in on himself and biting his split lip, that must hurt.

"I did." He whispered, finally looking up at me again, with big sad brown eyes. "I got up to walk away 'cause I didn't want to get in a fight-" Joseph paused to scoff and roll his eyes. "-and Nate grabbed my wrist and he broke the bracelet you made me for my birthday last year." He held up his wrist sadly and sure enough, it ws bare and there was a little red make around his wrist where it must have been pulled. "That was my favourite thing ever, and he broke it. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Joseph." I assured, rubbing my fingers over the red mark on his wrist soothingly. "Come on." I stood up and held out my hand. "You need to get changed and dry before you get sick, and maybe see the nurse about your lip."

"It's fine." Joseph brushed it off as he got up, still dripping wet.

"Sorry, I pushed you in the lake." I appologised and he shrugged.

"I probably would have still been really mad if you hadn't, and I don't want to do anything to you." We got to his cabin... His cabin that he shared with Jason and Nate. Luckilly Nate wasn't there otherwise I don't know what could have happened. Joseph took his wet shirt off and dropped it on the railing outside whilst I gaped at him. Tan smooth chest, the faint outline of muscles, even a fine line of dark hair starting at hi sbelly button and going down... Down into his shorts... I tried not to think about that. "I need to shower before I go see Uncle Brown... I'm probably in really big trouble." Joseph sighed, going into his cabin to get a towel and clean clothes whilst I stood rooted to the spot, staring after the place where Joseph had just been, half naked.

_**CR**_

_August 10th_

"Hi, Miley!" Jason greeted brightly, walking into where I'd been for the last hour, woodshop cabin.

"Hi, Jase." I half smiled, trying to concentrate. Ever since the first day when Jason didn't seem to understand that I wanted to work alone, and that I wouldn't build him a birdhouse, he still came every day to watch me carve out the little keychains I was making for Joseph. I don't know what his facination was, but having the company wasn't too bad, especially when I could keep him on one topic of conversation instead of the fifty million that ran through his mind.

"Shane is working in the kitchen as punishment." Jason said, hopping up on a spare bench. I think Brown was actually fair this, he punished both Joseph and Nate for the fight; Nate was helping the group that set up all the stages and did the clean-up after camp fire nights, and Joseph was working in the kitchen, helping to cook and cleaning up after meals and stuff. I think Joseph might actually not be too bothered by his punishment though. "He said to tell you that he might be late to your date tonight, but he'll make it up to you."

"Thanks." I sighed, frowning a little as I tried to perfect the little rectangle keyring ornament.

"Are you almost done with those?" Jason asked, eyeing my collection of keyrings.

"I'm not building you a birdhouse, Jason." I rolled my eyes, every single time he asked me that.

"Why not?" Jason whined childishly.

"If you want one so bad why don't you build one yourself?" I suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"My Dad says I'm not allowed to use power tools." Well, I didn't blame him personally.

"Then why don't you ask Andrew?"

"'Cause you and Shane are making that totally epic one and that's the kind I want." Jason swnered and I rolled my eyes, we weren't even finished that and it's been almost two whole Summers.

"I'll think about it when we've finished ours." I sighed, consenting. I mean, by the time Joseph and I finished our birdhouse, hopefully Jason will have forgotten all about wanting one.

* * *

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) Anything you would have liked to be different?  
3) Hopes for the final chapter of Year Two?  
4) What are your hopes or expectations for Year Three? (in Joseph's point of view.)**

**I'm currious as to why by the time I post chapter 9 of Year One I had 38 reviews for the story, and by the time I'm posting chapter 9 of this story I only have 28 reviews? I am very grateful for the reviews I have recieved, and to the people who took the time leave a comment, but why the drastic differences?**

**5 reviews for the next update!**

**24 Days Until Christmas!**

**Smiler For Joe!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**CHAPTER TEN**_

_August 15th_

Since Joseph was working in the kitchens as punisment until the end of camp he didn't actually attend many meals, so I woke up extra early for his brithday and waited outside the kitchens for him to get there.

"Miley?" Joseph asked, looking confused and yawning. He looked in his glasses and his hair all tousled from sleep.

"Hi, Joey." I smiled I felt like I hadn't seen him much lately, what with his punishment and me working on his present. But, I finally got them all finished. "Happy birthday."

"That's today?" Joseph asked, bewildered and I giggled.

"Yep." I pecked his lips lightly. "You're fifteen now."

"Well, it certainly is a happy birthday now." Joseph grinned, hugging me.

"How could you forget your own birthday?" I shook my head in mock disapointment.

"It's five thirty in the morning?" Joseph shrugged in response. "I almost forgot my pants on the way here, let alone what day it is."

"Well, it's your birthday." I blushed at the thought of Joseph forgetting his pants and what happens to him when he wakes up in the morning. "And this is your birthday kiss." I'd decided to give him his present later, when he didn't have to go work right after. I leaned up and kissed him, it was light at first, but as Joseph woke up to my lips he responded my and I soon found myself pressed between a Joseph and a hard place.

Joseph parted his lips as he became more responsive and he licked at my bottom lip, seeking entrance to my mouth, which I quickly and thoughtlessly granted, letting out tongues touch. I'd never get tired of kissing Joseph. I linked my hands around his neck and pulled him down to me even more. Joseph was a really good kisser. I mean, I didn't have anything to compare it to, but Joseph was a really good kisser, his lips, his tongue, the way he could make me moan.

"Gray!" Joseph lazilly pulled his lips away from mine, my eyes were still closed and Joseph rested his forehead against mine. I breathed in deeply and let my eyes flutter open to see Joseph staring right back at me with love in his eyes. "Come on, you're on punishment, not reward." Miss Kenmar - the head caterer - told Joseph and he pouted.

"But, it's his birthday." I tried not to sound whiney and Miss Kenmar sighed.

"Five minutes." She consented, going back into the kitchens.

"Happy birthday, Joseph." I pecked his lips again.

"I love you, Miley." Joseph smiled softly at me. Was it real love? Sometimes I couldn't help but wonder, but if this wasn't real love then I never wanted to fall in love. Joseph kissed me again, more slowly, sensual.

"I love you, Joseph." I murmured when Joseph pulled back with a lazy smile.

"It's times like this when being punished sucks." Joseph pouted and I giggled. "I'll see you after breakfast?"

"Of course." Like I would stay away, especially on his birthday. I kissed him once before he smiled a little and went into the kitchens, muh more awake than he'd been when he walked up.

Breakfast tasted extra good that morning, and after I stayed behind to help Joseph so I got to spend more time with him. Miss Kenmar and the other kitchen staff just rolled their eyes and made us leave when - and I'm not sure how - we both ended up covered in soap suds and giggling on the floor. Except instead of going to shower and get cleaned up like we were told to as soon as we were out of the kitchens Joseph pressed me up against the side of the building just like before breakfast and kissed me.

"We gotta stop." I muttered out between kisses and Joseph whined and kissed a trail from my lips to my ear.

"No." He said firmly in my ear before trailing his lips down to my neck.

"Don't." I let out a gasp when his tongue swiped out against my skin. "Don't want." I bit my lip and tried not to moan when he bit ever so lightly against a sensitive spot on my neck. "Don't want you to get sick." I gave into the moan and I felt Joseph grin against my neck, that's what he wanted; to hear me moan. "'Specially not on your birthday."

"Fine." Joseph grumbled, pulling away from my neck with a self-satisfied smile. He'd reached his objective, he'd made me moan like he confessed did all sort of crazy hormonal things to him. He reached up and touched the still wet spot where his mouth had been, a thoughtful look taking over his features. "It's not that I want to mark you." He hummed, I shivered at the feel of his fingers. "I just like to taste you, and hear you moan." Joseph confessed, turning an endearing light pink, and I'm sure I blushed too.

"Go shower, Joseph." I managed out through my heted embarassment. "And after I'll give you your birthday present." And just like that Joseph lit up like a kid on Christmas.

"Love you, Miles." He pecked my lips once before running off to get dry clothes from his cabin. I giggled and shook my head; my sweet, perfect, slightly childish boy.

In my cain after my own shower I found the box with Joseph's present in it that I hid, just in case, and I checked that it was still there. All neatly carved from wood and polished nicely, a metal loop and small chain connecting them all to a bigger loop for the keychain; a tiny guitar complete with strings and everything, a simple little double music note, a rectangle with our names on it, and a heart with my new favourite Italian phrase on it _Amore Eterno_.

_**CR**_

_August 16th_

"Dad?" I stared at him, surprised. What was Dad doing here? Camp didn't end until tomorrow, and then I thought I'd see him when I got to New York. "What are you doing here?" I walked over to him robotically to hug him when he held out his arms expectantly.

"I told you, Bud, I'd see you on the sixteenth." Well, true, he did say that, but I thought he got his dates wrong.

"But, camp doesn't end till tomorrow." I was confused before it struck me. Oh, sweet niblets. My Dad, the music producer/talent scout when he's not recording or touring himself is at a music camp for Final Jam where the best of Camp Rock's performers were going to do their best acts tonight. Dad was here for work... And he probably expected me to be performing at Final Jam.

"I came to watch you at the final song thing, Mile." Dad said, confirming my fears, of course he wouldn't outright say he was he to scout.

"Final Jam." I automatically corrected, feeling myself pale. "But, Dad." I swollowed thickly, I was happy with not performing at Final Jam because I knew Dad wouldn't be here to criticise me for not being in Final Jam. "I'm not performing."

"What do you mean, you're not performing?" Dad looked confused, like he couldn't fathom the idea.

"I'm not performing, Dad." I repeated, starting to feel a little uncomfortable, people were starting to stare. Stare at the girl who was minisculey involved in the music aspect of Camp Rock and who's father was Robby Ray, standing in the middle of camp.

"Why not?" I sighed, he still had that overly confused look.

"Because I don't want to." I looked down, now to face another disapointed 'why can't you face your destiny and be a musician' speech.

"Hey, Miles!" Joseph ran up and kissed my cheek, seemingly not noticing my Dad, which made me pale even more. "Come watch us rehearse, it's not like when you and me perform, but it's still really good." He grabbed my hand and started to lead me away, but then he let out a choked sound when Dad grabbed the collar of his shirt so he couldn't leave.

"Dad." I gasped, swatting his hand away as Joseph rubbed his neck, and this time Joseph went pale when he realised the intimidating, country/rockstar in front of us was my Dad. "Are you okay?" I asked my boyfriend, trying to pointedly ignore my Dad.

"Miley Ray, who is this boy?" Dad asked with his stern father voice and I sighed.

"Dad." I started slowly, how do I word it so that he doesn't get mad at Joseph? "This is Joseph."

"J-J-Joseph Sha-Joseph Shane Gray, Sir." Joseph held out his hand nervously. I bit my lip sadly, he hadn't stuttered in such a long time. "P-pleased to m-m-meet you."

"You couldn't find a little punk who could at least talk right, Bud?" Dad muttered to me and I gaped at him, astounded whilst Joseph looked hurt and mortified.

"Dad!" I shrieked, stepping back from him. "Don't talk about Joseph like that, it's rude and mean." I turned to Joseph and he was looking at his feet, scuffing his shoes, and burning red. "Are you okay, Joseph?" I whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek, but he jerked away from my touch. That hurt. "Joseph?"

"I-I-I've got to g-g-I've got to go." Joseph stuttered out, not meeting my eyes before he ran away.

"Thanks a lot, Dad." I snapped, glaaring at him.

"The boy can't even talk right, Miley." Dad defened himself and I rolled my eyes.

"You don't know Joseph, and you don't know why he stutters; which, by the way, has barely happened this Summer, so thanks for brining it back." I snapped before stalking off after Joseph.

"Hey, Miley!" I looked over when Jason called from the back door of one of the practice halls.

"What?" I wanted to find Joseph before he went into a full on panic attack.

"Shane's breathing all weird, and he said he was going find you before, but here you are already." Jason explained and I let out a breath and ran past him to find Joseph.

"Joseph." I ran over, he was bent over and struggling to breathe, his eyes wide and scared.

"I think he's having a panic attack." Nate muttered, ever since they're fight they'd tried to get along again and I think it was starting to work again, but they were both still withdrawn from each other. Considering it was only one Summer after over ten years of a bad relationship, it was a lot of progress.

"He encountered my Dad." I muttered as a form of explanation. "Joseph." I reached for him hesitantly, the last time I tried to touch him he jerked away. "Joseph, it's okay." He let me touch his hand and I brought it up, over my heart like my nanny - and Mom before her - used to do when I'd have panic attacks when I was little and faced with crowds... Or storms. "It's okay, Joseph." I kept his hand on my chest and breathed deeply, evenly. "Feel my hert, feel my breathing." His slowly started to regulate to match mine and he collapsed on his knees on the floor. "You're okay, Joey." I knelt next to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry." Joseph whispered, concentrating on letting out even breaths. "I-I'm sorry-I'm sorry, Miley, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Joseph, you're okay." I cooed, resting my forehead on his shoulder.

"Y-your Dad h-h-your Dad hates me." Joseph worried.

"No, he doesn't." I denied, even though I had no way of knowing if that was true. "He doesn't hate you, Joseph, I wouldn't let him."

_**CR**_

I was watching Final Jam from backstage. I wasn't performing this year, but I was waiting with Joseph. I hadn't seen my Dad since I left him after he insulted Joseph's stuttering... Well, I had seen him, talking to the councilors, and Dee La Duke and Brown, but I'd made sure he hadn't seen me. I didn't want to think about what he could be talking to Brown about. Option one was he was talking about business - safe ground - option two he was talking about me and my lack of performing - he wouldn't be too happy about what he heard - option three; Joseph. I know Brown wouldn't say anything bad about Joseph, but I still worried, because what if Dad decided not to let me come back to Camp Rock next year?

The act on stage finished with a round of appluase and cheers as they left the stage. Joseph, Nate and Jason were next.

"I'd wish you good luck, but you're all talent so you don't need it." I told Joseph and he smiled shyly at me. "I love you, Joseph Gray." I old him, pecking his lips. Dee La Duke anounce Joseph, his cousin and future step-brother/his cousins cousin.

"I love you, Miley Stewart." Joseph kissed me again before he went on stage. That calm confidence taking over him as soon as the spotlight hit him. For someone so shy normally, his confidence onstage was amaing.

"'Sup." Nate grabbed a microphone as Jason checked his guitar and Joseph sat at the piano. "I'm Nate." Joseph started playing a few notes on the piano. "This is my cousin Shane." Joseph grinned as the spotlight shined brightly on him. "And this is my other cousin Jason." Jason looked up from his guitar with a deer in the headlights look. "And this song is When You Look Me In The Eyes." The audience hushed down and I leaned against a support beam backstage with a smile as I watched.

_If the heart is always searching  
Can you ever find a home?_

Joseph started singing and I looking out of the crowd, I wasn't the only one who swooned at the sound of his voice. He wasn't going to make it big, I know he was.

**I've been looking for that someone  
I'll never make it on my own**  
_Dreams can't take the place of loving you_

Joseph glanced back at me and grinned as he sang and I blushed, biting my lip shyly.

**There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true**

_**When you look me in the eyes  
And tell me that you love me  
Everything's alright  
When you're right here by my side.  
When you look me in the eyes  
I catch a glimpse of Heaven.  
I find my paradise  
When you look me in the eyes**_

I had to admit, even after hearing the song in rehearsal it was amazing. The three boys harmonizing together, the piano, Jason's guitar playing, the lyrics. I knew they could be a hit. That song could be a hit. And if any of the scouts here tonight had any sense they'd try and sign them tonight, as soon as possible.

_How long will I be waiting  
To be with you again?  
_**Gonna tell you that I love you  
In the best way that I can**  
I can't take a day without you here  
You're the light that make my darkness disappear.

They started singing together again. I tore my eyes away from Joseph and looked into the audience. The scouts sitting in the back all had notebooks or PDA's. I saw a couple writing furriously, taking notes on the boys. One even had his cell phone held out so the person on the other end could listen to them play. My Dad was sitting in a corner, staring at them, writing on his PDA and looking thoughtful. I had no doubt the one with the cell phone would be jumping up and down to sign Joseph, Nate and Jason. And apparently so did the other scouts because when they noticed him they started taking out their phones too.  
Joseph and Jason stopped playing and Joseph jumped up on the piano with his microphone, ever the showman.

_More and more, I start to realise  
I can reach my tomorrow_

Joseph sang out before he jumped off the piano and joined Jason and Nate, walking to the edge of the stage as Nate sang his piece before they all sang the chorus again twice, with only Jason playing as accompaniment. Then silence. I think by now the whole camp knew about the 'tensions' between the three boys, and I don't know what they were expecting, but judging from the looks of some of them, that certainly wasn't it. Then applause.

_**CR**_

_August 17th_

"No, you listen to me." Brown walked passed, talking into his cell phone. "My nephew and his cousins are going to be stars and you want them to be first opener? That's three songs that nobody shows up to." Brown scolded, "they're going to be headliners and you're going to be the person who tried to make them nobodies." Joseph rolled his eyes at me as Brown walked out of hearing range.

"He wants to know our band name so he can start making posters and booking gigs." Joseph muttered, turning back to me with his big brown eyes with gold and green flecks. "We're not gonna stop talking again before next Summer are we?" He asked softly.

"Sweet niblets, I hope not." My heart didn't like the idea from the painful way it clenched at the mention of it.

"Mio Bellisima." Joseph touched my cheek tenderly. "Amore."

"Amore Eterno." I corrected and he smiled. Eternal Love.

"Maybe I can convince Mom and Mister Jonas to let us go to New York for Christmas." I liked the idea, a long year away from him broken up by a happy Christmas.

"Will you come back next year?" I worried, glancing at where Brown was still on his phone. "Even when your big and famous?"

"I'd go anywhere in the world if I got to see you." Joseph mumbled, holding my hand. He brought it up to his lips and kissed the back. "I'll definately come back next year." He assured, his eyes twinkling. "Besides." He added with a smirk. "We have to finish our birdhouse."

"Damn straight, Mister Rockstar, I don't want to do it without you." I tried to look serious as I said it. "And you wouldn't want all those poor homeless birds on your conscience now, would you?"

"The only thing I want on my conscience, or any other part of me-" he flsuhed and pecked my lips lightly. "-is you."

"Miley." Dad came over just then, things with Dad had been tense since I walked away from him yesterday. "The jet leaves in an hour, so we should go." The jet was a private plane and wouldn't leave until Dad told it to.

"Okay." I sighed sadly, looking down at my hands, still holding Joseph's. "Il nostro amore è Eterno." That was one of the main things I'd learned from the Italian lessons Joseph had been giving me this Summer; how to profess my love. Our love is Eternal.

"L'eternità non è abbastanza lunga." Joseph replied fluidly and I cocked my head in confussion. Joseph leaned in close and kissed my lips, even with my Dad standing right next to us. "Eternity is not long enough." He whispered in my ear in translation and I flushed as he let go of me. Dad was frowning as he put his hand on my shoulder and led me to the waiting limo. Once inside I stared out the dark tinting of the backk window at Joseph; he was just standing where I left him, looking sad.

* * *

**So we reached the end of another Summer... I think I'm going to have to wait until after the Holiday season is over to start with the 3rd year because I'm going to be pretty busy for the next few weeks. But, I promise I'll start writing Year Three (in Joseph's point of view) as soon as I can.**

**1) Favourite part of the chapter?  
2) Favourite part of the series so far?  
3) Anything you would hav liked to have been different?  
4) I kinda don't like this chapter all that much, it wasn't how I invissioned their second Summer ending.**

**20 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!  
30 DAYS UNTIL MY 20TH BIRTHDAY!  
2 DAYS TO MY DAD'S BIRTHDAY!**

**5 reviews please?**

**Smiler For Joe!**


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